Ian McKellen encourages actors to come out as LGBTQ+: “Being in the closet is silly”
Hollywood stalwart and staunch LGBTQ+ activist Ian McKellen has encouraged any actor who may still be guarding their sexual or gender identity to come out, as he claimed, “being in the closet is silly”.
The veteran actor was speaking to The Times ahead of his new production of Edward II about the prevalence of LGBTQ+ voices and communities in the film industry, saying: “I have never met anybody who came out who regretted it. 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.”
Appealing particularly to young actors who he feared could be receiving poor guidance on the matter, McKellen insisted: “Don’t listen to your advisers, listen to your heart. Listen to your gay friends who know better. Come out. Get into the sunshine.”
Making an interesting hypothesis that the most famous actors are advised to steer clear on the matter of their sexuality, much like footballers, the Lord of the Rings star continued: “In women’s sport, it’s not an issue. I would imagine young footballers are probably, like actors, getting very bad advice from agents who are worried about their own incomes.”
However, he caveated this by stating, “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.”
In doing so, the classic actor bemoaned the fact that the Oscar for ‘Best Actor’ has never been won by someone who is openly LGBTQ+.
McKellen himself knows both the benefits and struggles of being gay and working in Hollywood, having come out in 1988 at the age of 48 after famously starring in a slew of Shakespearean productions.
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