Sir Ian | Photo: Instagram/ianmckellen
Sir Ian McKellen was forced to cancel a theater performance on Saturday night after injuring his leg running for the train that day.
But rather than let the audience down at the last minute, he instead treated them to a 90-minute Q&A.
He furthermore did some Shakespeare improv, which some other cast members of King Lear stayed to watch.
The acting veteran is currently treading the boards as King Lear at Duke of York’s Theatre in London. The gruelling performance lasts for three hours and 20 minutes with one interval.
‘Pretty incredible’
According to theater-goer Kate Simpson, Ian was asked what his advice was for aspiring actors. He replied ‘Don’t!’, generating laughs from the audience.
Sir Ian McKellen injured himself running to catch a train, and this afternoon’s performance of King Lear is cancelled. Instead, McKellen is chatting with the audience taking questions, and it is pretty incredible. pic.twitter.com/UcNLiWNgE7
— Katie Simpson (@CBCKatie) August 4, 2018
McKellen does not approve of using microphones in the theatre, says it gets in the way of connecting with the audience. Says he became an actor because he says it is the only thing he’s good at, and jokes he likes to “show off”.
— Katie Simpson (@CBCKatie) August 4, 2018
A star of stage and screen, Sir Ian is of course known for movie roles such as Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. He also reprised the role for The Hobbit franchises. He furthermore played Magneto in X-Men.
A representative for Sir Ian has been approached for comment.
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