Ian McKellen encourages young gay actors to come out: “Being in the closet is silly”

Ian McKellen has encouraged young gay actors to come out, arguing that it is “silly” to be in the closet.

The veteran stage and screen actor has given an interview to The Times in which he discusses the experience he had when he himself revealed publicly that he was gay in 1988, at the age of 48.

“I have never met anybody who came out who regretted it,” he said. “I feel sorry for any famous person who feels they can’t come out. Being in the closet is silly – there’s no need for it. Don’t listen to your advisers, listen to your heart. Listen to your gay friends who know better. Come out. Get into the sunshine.”

The Lord Of The Rings star compared the situation to the English Premier League, which has never seen an openly LGBTQ+ senior player. “In women’s sport it’s not an issue,” he said. “I would imagine young footballers are probably, like actors, getting very bad advice from agents who are worried about their own incomes.”

“But the first Premier League footballer to come out will become the most famous footballer in the world, with all the agencies begging for his name on their products.”

McKellen, 85, was on stage in the West End in a production of Player Kings last summer when he lost his footing and fell from the stage. He was rushed to hospital and later confirmed he had fractured his wrist, rendering him unable to fulfil the remaining dates of the play’s run.

Months later, he revealed that he was still dealing with “agonising pain” from the accident, but he did confirm that he had no plans to retire.

He has also recently stated that if the character of Gandalf was set to appear in any future Lord Of The Rings films, he wanted to return to the role. “I’m not letting anyone else put on the pointy hat and beard if I can help it,” he said, having played Gandalf in both Peter Jackson’s Lord Of The Rings films and the prequel Hobbit trilogy.

A new film, The Hunt For Gollum, is due for release in 2026 with Andy Serkis set to direct and star in the new film. “Enthusiasm for The Lord of the Rings shows no sign of abating,” McKellen told the Big Issue recently. “I can’t tell you any more than that. I’ve just been told there are going to be more films and Gandalf will be involved and they hope that I’ll be playing him.”

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