Ian McKellen revealed in a recent interview with the Guardian that Obi-Wan Kenobi actor Alec Guinness once advised him not to go public about his advocacy for gay rights. Guinness is said to have told McKellen to “withdraw” his support for British gay rights lobby group Stonewall. At the time, Stonewall was fighting for government protection for gay people and equal treatment under the law.
“He took me out to an Italian lunch in Pimlico, and we talked about this and that until he revealed the real reason for the invitation,” McKellen told the magazine. “He had heard about my work in founding Stonewall, a lobby group that would lobby the government and the world to treat British lesbians and gays equally under the law. He thought it was a little unseemly for an actor to meddle in public affairs and political affairs and advised me to back out. It was almost like a plea. It was advice from an older generation, but I didn’t follow it.”
Mr McKellen said he was reminded of his recent encounter with Guinness after seeing the solo show ‘Guinness Two’, starring ‘Star Wars’ actor Zeb Thornes, and said: ‘I think it hints at Sir Alec’s latent bisexuality in a way that might upset him.’
McKellen, the Lord of the Rings and X-Men icon, came out as gay in a BBC radio interview in 1988, at the age of 48. He told the Times of London last year that he felt sorry for his fellow actors who felt unable to come out as gay, and urged closeted stars to reconsider.
“I’ve never met anyone who regretted coming out,” McKellen said. “I feel for all the celebrities who feel like they can’t come out. It’s stupid to stay in the closet. There’s no need to be. Don’t listen to your advisors, listen to your heart. Listen to your gay friends who know better. Go outside and get some sunshine.”
McKellen said at the time that no openly gay person had ever won an Oscar for best actor, nor had there been an openly gay British prime minister or Premier League footballer.
“In women’s sports, that’s not an issue,” he said. “I think young footballers, just like actors, are probably getting very bad advice from agents who are worried about their income. But the first footballer to appear in the Premier League will be the most famous footballer in the world and every agent will beg to put his name on their products.”
McKellen recently starred in Steven Soderbergh’s latest film, The Christophers.
