Over more than six decades of acting, what has changed the most?
eamonmcc
My first job, in 1961, was at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry. It was the first British civic theatre built after World War II, funded by public money and later an Arts Council grant. I earned £8 a week, which was enough to pay for my flat—three guineas—and eat well. Every city of a similar size had a repertory company, putting on a new show every two weeks. Crucially, these companies gave work to young actors who needed a long apprenticeship alongside more experienced performers. You learned what you could and couldn’t do, and what you might aim for. Sadly, there isn’t a single rep company left in the UK today, and no similar system for training new talent.
My old flat in Belgrade, built for a member of the now-disbanded company, now houses the council’s outreach and education office. What hasn’t changed since 1961 is how much audiences love lively theatre, whether it’s classic or new. Going to live theatre is still one of the UK’s main forms of entertainment.
Do you still do your warm-up yoga before a show in your jockstrap, like you used to in the stalls bar at the Lyric during Dance of Death?
Theafterdarkclub
I’m not sure about the jockstrap, but I still like to join the other actors warming up body and mind before a show. We stretch our muscles, clear our voices, and gossip. It reminds us that putting on plays is, at its best, a team effort.
Can you do a TV show where you and Patrick Stewart travel around Europe in a camper van, reviewing local stage productions and discussing them over dinner?
ExileCuChulainn
I’d enjoy that, but I’m not sure about the camper van. Put five-star hotels in the contract, and I’ll see what Pat thinks.
If you could go back in time and meet Shakespeare, what would you ask him?
Dr_J_A_Zoidberg
I’d say: “So, did you write the plays and act in them? I’m sure you did, but some sensible people don’t believe it. Also, could you sketch a plan of the original Globe Theatre? I suspect it didn’t have those two annoying columns that block the view from the stage of the so-called Shakespeare’s Globe on the South Bank. Oh, and: have you seen Hamnet yet?”
What do you remember of your wonderful 2025 Glastonbury appearance, performing with the Scissor Sisters—and the crowd chanting your name afterwards to the tune of the White Stripes’ Seven Nation Army?
brucevayne1000
Unlike many of my friends, I never wanted to be a pop singer—but it’s thrilling to parade in front of a band’s enthusiastic fans. The whole set felt like one long curtain call of love and thanks.
Who would win a fight between Gandalf and Dumbledore?
relevantusername
Why on earth would they be fighting? But Gandalf, of course, would win. He’s the original wizard.
[Image: Spellbinding performance … McKellen as Gandalf. Photograph: Mark Pokorny/New Line Cinema/Allstar]
Did watching your father—a lay preacher—captivate an audience inspire you to become an actor? Do you believe in a creator, or are your beliefs more humanist?
Charlesosborneprague and Machine2
No. It was actors—both amateur and professional—who first captivated me. My father’s father was a nonconformist preacher, with wide gestures from his narrow shoulders to emphasize his thin Lancashire accent. Once, in his 80s, he was speaking to a full crowd in Houldsworth Hall in Manchester when he ran out of steam—like an actor forgetting his lines—and silently slumped down behind the lectern. Everyone felt awkward and embarrassed, until he leaned forward from his chair and said: “This is worrying you all a lot more than it does me.” I think he was as comfortable in the pulpit as his grandson feels on stage.
And no, I don’t believe in a creator. I fondly remember the gospel stories I heard over and over as a child, from the pulpit and in Sunday school. But I stopped worshipping in my teens. Since then, Quakers are the religious group I feel closest to.The society I most admire is the one that sticks to the sixth commandment and was the first Christian group in the UK to support gay rights.
What drew you to pantomime?
Pantomime uses every possible theatrical trick to tell its moral stories – slapstick, emotion, song, dance, poetry, cross-dressing, group singing, over-the-top costumes and sets, and audience participation. Anything goes. It’s a perfect introduction to what theatre can do, especially for kids and family outings. As a homegrown art form, it hasn’t traveled well. Americans find it as confusing as cricket. My patriotism is rooted in Shakespeare and panto.
[Image: He’s behind you… Sir Ian is a fan of panto. Photo: Alastair Muir/REX/Shutterstock]
Dominic Monaghan says he saw David Bowie in the casting office for Lord of the Rings. Did Peter Jackson ever mention considering Bowie for Gandalf?
I’ve never been able to get Peter to confirm who turned down the wizard role of a lifetime. As for Bowie, he wasn’t the only famous music star who wanted to succeed in movies but never quite did. For all Gandalf’s magic and supernatural side, I was most drawn to the old man’s humanity – the kind of scruffy, wandering tramp you might hope to meet on the roads of Middle-Earth. Maybe Bowie’s striking looks and voice would have emphasized the more supernatural aspects of his character.
As a pub landlord, have you ever had to kick anyone out – and were they famous?
Never, maybe because Gandalf’s staff stands sternly behind the bar at the Grapes, keeping both Middle-Earth hobbits and Limehouse drinkers in line.
[Image: At the Grapes pub in 2012. Photo: PĂĄl Hansen/The Guardian]
What’s the worst advice you’ve ever been given?
After a 1979 performance of Martin Sherman’s Bent – the play that taught the world about the mistreatment of gays in Nazi labor camps – one of Britain’s most famous and respected actors came backstage. Alec Guinness sat quite primly in my dressing room, praising the play, then invited me to supper. I stupidly said no, but a decade later I got a second chance to meet him. He took me for an Italian lunch in Pimlico, where we chatted until he brought up the real reason for the invitation. He’d heard about my work to start Stonewall – a group to lobby the government and the world for equal treatment of UK lesbians and gays under the law. He thought it was unseemly for an actor to get involved in public or political affairs and advised me, almost begged me, to step back. It was advice from an older generation, and I didn’t follow it. This all came back to me while watching the current tour of Two Halves of Guinness, a solo show that hints at Sir Alec’s hidden bisexuality in a way that would have upset him, I think – despite Zeb Soanes’ spot-on impersonation.
[Image: Sir Ian as Hamlet and Susan Fleetwood as Ophelia in the Prospect theatre company’s touring production in 1971. Photo: Donald Cooper/Alamy]
Of all the parts you’ve played, have you ever thought: “Why on earth am I doing this?”
Just once, playing Dame Celia Johnson’s son in the BBC version of Noël Coward’s Hay Fever. I loved her in his film Brief Encounter, wrote a fan letter, got a kind reply, and hoped to become friends during rehearsals – that was my main reason for taking the job. But at coffee, lunch, or tea breaks, she’d retreat into the silence of her Daily Telegraph crossword, leaving me wondering: “Why on earth am I playing one of the least funny parts in world drama?”
To be or not to be?If anyone knows, it's you, Sir Ian.
When I played Hamlet in my late twenties, I understood "to be" as "live life to the fullest." That fit my youthful drive. But when I returned to the role a couple of years ago, both on stage and on screen, I realized that Hamlet actually answers his famous question in the final act of the play, just before the bloody ending. He tells his best friend, "Let be." And I agree.
The Christophers is in UK and Irish cinemas from May 15, and opens in Australia on June 4.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs based on the statement Of course Gandalf would win in a fight against Dumbledore
BeginnerLevel Questions
Q Who is Ian McKellen and why does he say Gandalf would beat Dumbledore
A Ian McKellen is the actor who played Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings movies He made this comment as a fun personal opinionnot as an official canon fact Hes basically saying his own character is tougher
Q Is this a real argument between the actors
A No Ian McKellen and Michael Gambon were friends McKellens comment was a playful hypothetical joke not a serious feud
Q Is Gandalf actually stronger than Dumbledore
A In their own stories yesGandalf is a divine angelic being who can reshape reality Dumbledore is a brilliant powerful human wizard In a straight fight Gandalf has a huge power advantage
Q So does Ian McKellen think hes a better actor than the Dumbledore actor
A No Hes talking about the characters not the actors Hes saying his character would win not that hes a better performer
IntermediateLevel Questions
Q What specific powers does Gandalf have that Dumbledore doesnt
A Gandalf can command fire light and create blinding flashes He can also break a wizards staff with a word and he is immortalyou cant really kill him permanently Dumbledores magic is more about cunning transfiguration and defensive shields
Q But Dumbledore has the Elder Wand Doesnt that make him unbeatable
A The Elder Wand is the most powerful wand in the Harry Potter world but it only works within that magic system Gandalf doesnt use a wand for his real powerhis staff is just a focus The Elder Wand cant stop a divine being from simply willing a mountain to fall on you
Q What are the rules for this fight Are they in a neutral arena
