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Tag: Ian McKellen

  • Ian McKellen Wasn’t Allowed To Be Himself Until Coming Out

    Ian McKellen is like an elder statesman in the gay community. Anytime some uncle at Thanksgiving makes a homophobic comment stereotyping gay people, all you have to do is point at Ian McKellen. The idea of an old, gay man throws people.

    Sir Ian McKellen is not only outspoken about his own homosexuality — in the most tasteful manner, of course — but he defends and aids others who are hushed into a corner, afraid to dare be themselves.

    In a recent interview, Ian McKellen even went so far as to say that his coming out in 1988 to his family and the media, was the start of something refreshing and better for him.

    He was 49 years years old before he took that step. Before that, McKellen says, he “wasn’t truly allowed” to be himself. In fact, he used acting as a way to “run away from real life.”

    For an actor, that is a terrible place to be. Finding truth in a part, and connecting that truth to your own personal experience, is something any actor, whether they are Method or not, calls upon at least occasionally, if not regularly.

    “I was finally allowed to be in touch with my own emotions,” says McKellen of coming out. “So acting became about telling the truth. It was a huge change.”

    Ian McKellen, who had fallen in love with acting at a young age, was finally able to connect his adult life with the fascination he felt as a boy watching actors on stage.

    “I enjoyed what I was watching so much that I wanted to see how it was done,” McKellen said of his childhood experience in theatre.

    But his coming out didn’t just affect his life as an actor.

    “My life got better in every way [after coming out,]” says McKellen. “I don’t say I became a better cook, but I became a better son, a better brother, a better uncle, and a better actor – a different actor, anyway.”

  • Ian McKellen Pride Speech Inspires

    Ian McKellen Pride Speech Inspires

    Sir Ian McKellen, who is both Magneto and Gandalf, walked among the 20,000+ revelers at the Pride Parade in London this weekend. McKellen was there to introduce Eurovision winner Conchita Wurst to the crowd.

    “Show business has always led the way when it comes to the freedom to be yourself,” said Sir Ian.

    “So, Conchita is following in the footsteps of our predecessors. There is a long tradition of outrageousness and confidence that performers embody, and that has an enormous impact. It clears the way for others to dare to be themselves. She has done just that.”

    Riffing on the theme of “the freedom to be yourself” is apropos for McKellen. The 75-year-old actor came out when he was 49, on a BBC radio program.

    McKellen had also recently said that he never met a public figure who had come out and regretted it.

    “Anyone in public life who comes out, comes out primarily for themselves, and their life is immediately improved. That’s what happened to me.”

    “I feel sorry for anyone who feels the need to lie about themselves. That’s not good for you. It doesn’t lead to a happy life. And I’ve never met a gay person who came out and who regretted it. Never.

    “So, my advice to anyone in the closet — it doesn’t matter whether they’re a teacher, or a politician, or a priest, or an actor — come out. Join the human race.”

    McKellen talked about his first Pride Parade that he attended 25 years ago. McKellen said he will “never forget the feeling of being able to walk along all ages and experiences, and to finally be cheered for being ourselves.”

    “Today I have seen people in wheelchairs, all ages, teenagers, from all countries, and they are all proud of who we are. There are teenagers who have travelled from their own home countries to London for this, and when I see that I can say that in all honesty the world must have changed for the better. For that, I am grateful to all the old timers who pioneered the gay rights movement.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Ian McKellen Salutes Gay Pride Parade Revellers

    Sir Ian McKellen made an appearance at the Pride in London Parade on Saturday.

    The parade is just one part of the city’s week-long Pride in London festival, which takes place every year to celebrate gay rights.

    McKellen, 75, who came out at the age of 49 during a BBC radio interview, was on-hand to introduce Eurovision song contest winner Conchita Wurst.

    “Show business has always led the way when it comes to the freedom to be yourself,” said the Lord of the Rings actor to a crowd of more than 300,000.

    “So, Conchita is following in the footsteps of our predecessors. There is a long tradition of outrageousness and confidence that performers embody, and that has an enormous impact. It clears the way for others to dare to be themselves. She has done just that.”

    McKellen told the revellers about his memories of the first parade he attended around 25 years ago, saying he will “never forget the feeling of being able to walk along all ages and experiences, and to finally be cheered for being ourselves.”

    “Today I have seen people in wheelchairs, all ages, teenagers, from all countries, and they are all proud of who we are,” said the X-Men star. “There are teenagers who have travelled from their own home countries to London for this, and when I see that I can say that in all honesty the world must have changed for the better. For that, I am grateful to all the old timers who pioneered the gay rights movement.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Ian McKellen Protests Against Russia’s Anti-Gay Laws With Help From Nobel Prize Winners

    Ian Mckellen is certainly one of the more outspoken of the homosexual celebrities, and often uses his influence to help others when he can.

    Russia has been criticized for its treatment of gay people a fair amount recently, and with the Olympics right around the corner, some people have decided to write a letter to President Putin, and make their opinions heard.

    In addition to Sir Ian Mckellen, the actor is joined by 27 other Nobel laureates from the fields of science and the arts, and they are demanding that Russian President Vladimir Putin repeal the repressive homophobic legislation that has put his country at the center of an international fury over gay rights.

    The letter was formulated by Ian Mckellen and chemist Sir Harry Koto, along with signatures from leading figures such as geneticist Sir Paul Nurse, novelist J.M. Coetzee, and physicist Brian Schmidt.

    The Russian law, which was enacted last year, outlaws the promotion of “non-traditional sexual relations among minors.’’

    As stated in the letter, the actor and his fellow activists assert that “The letter is written to indicate that many senior members of the international scientific community show solidarity with politicians, artists, sports people and many others who have already expressed their abhorrence for the Russian government’s actions against its gay citizens.”

    One of the things that prompted Ian Mckellen to be involved in the situation, and with Russia’s policy in particular, was the fact that he had been advised by the UK Foreign Office to not speak openly about his sexuality while in Russia, and he had turned down the opportunity to appear at Russian film festivals as a result.

    The latest appeal to Russian lawmakers comes shortly before the Winter Olympics are scheduled to begin in Sochi, which will premiere on February 6th. The 2014 Olympic Winter Games will be the first time that the Russian Federation will have hosted the Winter Games, and while the Olympics is often an exciting time for fans, this one will be filled with controversy.

    A large number of people have already vowed to protest the country’s anti-gay laws and despite the fact that they have been threatened with fines and potential jail time, several athletes competing in the games are also scheduled to protest.

    Along with a number of others, Ian Mckellen has been getting involved in the protests over Russia’s laws against homosexuality.

    Can the influence of celebrities and high-powered individuals have an influence on President Putin?

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Patrick Stewart: Best Christmas Gift if in NYC

    A Christmas dream come true…

    A double-dose of X-men‘s Sir Patrick Stewart and Lord of the Ring‘s Sir Ian McKellen on Broadway!

    The always elegant and dapper British actors are performing in not just one, but in two alternating plays on Broadway this season: Harold Pinter’s “No Man’s Land” and Samuel Beckett’s classic “Waiting for Godot,”

    Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Patrick Stewart sat down with “Power Players” to discuss how they manage to keep from mixing up their alternating characters.

    In an interview with “Power Players” the actors discussed how they keep from mixing up their alternating characters.

    “If you’re a teacher and you’re teaching geography from 10:00 to 11:00, but at 11:00 to 12:00, you start to teach math, you don’t get them mixed up,” McKellen said. “They’re different.”

    McKellen and Stewart have been running around NYC in bowler caps, calling themselves “Gogo” and “Didi,” their characters’ nicknames in “Waiting for Godot, enjoying local fare at Coney Island, peering out on the city from the top of the Empire State Building, and even meeting Elmo on “Sesame Street.”

    “It’s just been, for them, a time of their lives,” Stewart said.

    This is not the first time the two have acted on Broadway and they agree that the city has changed a bit.

    “In 1967, when I first came here and saw a man urinating on the statue of George M. Cohan in Times Square,” McKellen said. “Do that today and you’d be locked up in Bloomberg’s cellar, wouldn’t you?”

    “I worked in ’70, and for a three month, four month season, 41st Street, 42nd Street, Broadway, Times Square was our world. And it is almost unrecognizable now from how it was,” Stewart said.

    They love the fans in NYC and say they compare to no other.

    “The audiences are a constant — in my experience — for the last 40 years when I’ve been coming,” McKellen explained.

    “They are more enthusiastic about going out and enjoying themselves in front of a live performance than anywhere else in the world.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Anna Paquin Axed from ‘X-Men’ Film

    Anna Paquin has been cut from the upcoming film, X-Men: Days of Future Past. Known for her role as Marie–and her alter-ego Rogue–Paquin was featured in just one sequence in the not-yet-released film. When editing took place, however, that sequence had to be cut. Director Bryan Singer spoke recently about the decision.

    “Through the editing process, the sequence became extraneous. It’s a really good sequence and it will probably end up on the DVD so people can see it. But like many things in the editing process, it was an embarrassment of riches and it was just one of the things that had to go,” he said. “Unfortunately, it was the one and only sequence Anna Paquin was in, the Rogue character was in. Even though she’s in the materials and part of the process of making the film, she won’t appear in it.”

    This is certainly disappointing to fans of Anna Paquin and her character–and likely to the actor herself. X-Men: Days of Future Past also stars Hugh Jackman, Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen. It will hit theaters some time in 2014.

    Anna Paquin is also known for her role as Sookie Stackhouse in the HBO series True Blood. She won a Golden Globe for the role back in 2009.

    Is X-Men: Days of Future Past on your list of must-see films for 2014? Are you disappointed to learn that Anna Paquin won’t grace the big screen in her reprised role?

    Image via Wikimedia

  • Sunny Ozell Marries Patrick Stewart

    Sunny Ozell Marries Patrick Stewart

    Patrick Stewart,73, has married his longtime girlfriend, Brooklyn singer and songwriter Sunny Ozell, 35. This is the third marriage for the “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “X-Men” star. Us Weekly reported that the wedding took place Sunday, though details were sparse; however, Stewart’s rep confirmed the union to People too.

    Stewart and Ozell dated for five years after meeting at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2008. Stewart has two children from his previous marriage to Sheila Falconer from 1966 to 1990. He went on to marry Wendy Neuss in 2000, but they split in 2003.

    Despite the sparse nuptial details, Stewart’s pal and costar in multiple endevours, Ian McKellen officiated the couple’s ceremony. In March, McKellen announced on the UK’s “The Jonathan Ross Show” that he would be marrying them thanks to a “one-day marriage designation” from the state of Massachusetts. “I’m going to marry Patrick,” the actor said after the host listed his and Stewart’s various collaborations. “No, no. How else do you put that? I’m going to officiate at his wedding.”

    The ceremony took place beside Lake Tahoe in front of 100 friends and family. After the knot-tying took place, McKellen shared a photo on Facebook with a caption that read, “I did my part,” holding up a T-shirt emblazoned with “minister” and his own “Doctor of Divinity” certificate.

    McKellen and Stewart will return to the big screen together in Brian Singer’s “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” which also stars Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy and Anna Paquin. The time-traveling action flick is due in theaters in May 2014.

    Image via Zimbio

  • Patrick Stewart Wedding to be Officiated by Ian McKellen

    It’s official. Gandalf will be marrying Jean-Luc Picard. In a way.

    Sir Ian McKellen, the actor known for playing roles such as Magneto in the Bryan Singer X-Men movies and Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings movies, has announced that he will be officiating the wedding of Sir Patrick Stewart and Stewart’s fiance, Sunny Ozell.

    Stewart is well-known for many roles, notably as Professor Charles Xavier in the Singer X-Men movies and as Captain Jean-Luc Picard on the TV show Star Trek: The Next Generation.

    McKellen announced his marriage responsibilities during an interview on The Jonathan Ross Show. He also stated that he has performed a marriage before, officiating the civil partnership of two men in the U.K.

    “I’m going to marry Patrick,” said McKellen, who immediately saw the problem with his wording. “But, no, well, how else do you put that? I am going to officiate, yes, at his wedding.”

    McKellen also jokingly propositioned Doctor Who actor Matt Smith, who briefly showed up during the interview. The host later plays a clip of McKellen’s first appearance on television in 1964. The marriage revelation begins at the 11-minute mark in the video below: