Ian McKellen says fat suit “saved” him during “horrible” fall
Within the acting world, there are few names as well-respected as Ian McKellen. For over 60 years, the Burnley-born actor has dedicated himself to acting on both stage and screen, taking on an incredible breadth of roles during that time. Most recently, McKellen returned to his natural habit, performing Shakespeare in the West End, though things did not go entirely to plan.
During one performance of Player Kings, a modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry IV Part One and Henry IV Part Two, McKellen’s character, Falstaff, had to engage in a battle scene. However, the scene caused the actor to trip on a newspaper and get his foot caught in a chair onstage. This then caused the 85-year-old actor to dramatically fall into the audience at the Noël Coward Theatre.
The fall caused a considerable number of injuries for McKellen, including a chipped vertebrae and a fractured wrist. According to the actor, the injuries would have been much more severe were it not for the fat suit worn by Falstaff throughout the performance.
Nevertheless, the recovery process has not been easy for McKellen, who has been struggling with his position as an actor in light of the fall and subsequent injuries. Understandably, it has been a colossal mental and physical barrier for the actor to try and overcome.
Speaking to Saga Magazine, McKellen candidly reflected on the recovery process, sharing, ”My chipped vertebrae and fractured wrist are not yet healed. I avoid going out because I’m nervous someone might bump into me, and I’ve been dealing with agonising pain in my shoulders due to the jolt my body took.” He then added, “The fat suit I wore for Falstaff saved my ribs and other joints, so I consider myself lucky.”
In addition to his physical ailments, the fall has caused McKellen some mental challenges, too. “I’ve re-lived that fall countless times. It was horrible,” he revealed.
McKellen elaborated, “I thought it was the end of something. It was very upsetting. The end didn’t mean my death, but it felt like the end of my participation in the play.”
The play, which has now finished its run on the West End, did continue on despite the loss of McKellen, with David Semark stepping up to the role of Falstaff in his absence. “I have to keep telling myself I’m not too old to act,” McKellen said, “It was just a bloody accident. I didn’t lose consciousness, I hadn’t been dizzy, but I’ve not been able to return to the stage, and they’ve continued without me.”
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