Ellen Page has signed on to play a closeted US Marine stationed in the Middle East, before the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’.

Indie-drama, Lioness, tells the story of US Marine Lance Corporal Leslie Martz (Ellen Page) who was sent as a part of a ‘Female Engagement Team’. The team were tasked with gaining the trust of the women by equipping them with necessary skills for independence, but also exploiting their trust by trying to gain information about their husbands in the Taliban.

Martz faces several personal battles while stationed in Iraq. She had to hide the fact that she was a lesbian at a time when soldiers were not permitted to disclose their sexual orientation. She was also torn between the need to prove herself to her superiors and the allegiance she developed towards the Iraqi women she grew to admire.

This is Ellen Page’s second lesbian role since coming out as gay last year. She stars in the upcoming drama Freeheld alongside Julianne Moore – the true story of a terminally ill police officer who is fighting for pension benefits for her partner (Page).