Ian Mckellen Extras Quotes

If we just made one movie, 'The Hobbit,' the fact is that all the fans, the eight-, nine- and 10-year-old boys, they would watch it 1,000 times. Now, they've got three films they can watch 1,000 times. ~ Ian McKellen

Every time you work is a challenge. There's a constant worry about it, and it's a side of acting I don't like. ~ Ian McKellen

The battle going on over gay marriage in America reveals an awful lot. The Bible belt - people hate gay people. Because the Bible tells them? No, the Bible tells them an awful lot of things that they ignore. ~ Ian McKellen

The spirit of the four hobbits in 'Lord of the Rings,' I suppose I miss that. ~ Ian McKellen

One thing Middle-earth is short on is the feminine. ~ Ian McKellen

The BAFTAs give the British point of view, and the Oscars give the American point of view, but the truth is we're all working in an international industry. ~ Ian McKellen

The whole atmosphere of the book, the tone of 'The Hobbit,' is of a kid's adventure story, told in the first person by Tolkien, who is introducing young people to the notion of Middle-earth. A lot of it is very light-hearted. ~ Ian McKellen

I've had enough of being a gay icon! I've had enough of all this hard work, because, since I came out, I keep getting all these parts, and my career's taken off. I want a quiet life. I'm going back into the closet. But I can't get back into the closet, because it's absolutely jam-packed full of other actors. ~ Ian McKellen

If I was on a march at the moment I would be saying to everyone: 'Be honest with each other. Admit there are limitless possibilities in relationships, and love as many people as you can in whatever way you want, and get rid of your inhibitions, and we'll all be happy. ~ Ian McKellen

I remember Tom Stoppard saying to me when I came out, 'I feel so sorry for you, because you'll never have children.' These days I would say, 'Well, why not, Tom?' ~ Ian McKellen

The huge difference in my lifetime is that you can just go up to somebody and make a pass. You couldn't do that in the 1950s if you were gay. There were secret handshakes, a secret language. There was nowhere you could go to be romantic outside of people's houses. ~ Ian McKellen

I just followed my parents' example and advice on living, which was to leave the world a better place than you found it. They were professional do-gooders, ministers of the church, social workers, teachers, and missionaries, that sort of thing. ~ Ian McKellen

There are a lot of actors - I'm probably one - who are most at home when they're on stage. ~ Ian McKellen

In the past, kids didn't tell their parents they were gay, so there were never the bust-ups. Some parents react so strongly to the news that their children are gay that the reaction is, 'Get out of our house.' There's a residue of old prejudices that are going to die hard. ~ Ian McKellen

All other areas of my life, I'm hopeless. I can't even be certain how to boil an egg. ~ Ian McKellen

If you've got Mystique as your girlfriend the fun you could have in bed - I've just imagined X-Men 3 might open with me in bed with Patrick Stewart. ~ Ian McKellen

I often get mistaken for Dumbledore. One wizard is very much like another. ~ Ian McKellen

Doing some of the 'Lord Of The Rings' press junkets got a bit claustrophobic. ~ Ian McKellen

Directed By: Peter Jackson Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen ~ Jamerson INC

No one seems to wash in Middle-earth. ~ Ian McKellen

I'll never put my memoirs in print. ~ Ian McKellen

Gandalf the Grey was always the guy I prefer. Gandalf the White was driven to do a particular job, whereas Gandalf the Grey is a bit more humane. ~ Ian McKellen

I love working in New York. ~ Ian McKellen

I'd never read 'Lord of the Rings' until I was asked to play Gandalf, so I didn't really know it was a frightfully famous book. ~ Ian McKellen

Journalists often ask me: "Aren't you sorry that after all the work you've done, you're best known as Magneto and Gandalf?" But that's what I've always wanted - not to be known as myself. I want to draw attention to the characters. ~ Ian McKellen

Gandalf's a good guy, and it's a good part. He says the right things, he believes the right things. An actor can have fun with it. ~ Ian McKellen

I came rather late to film. I've done an awful lot of theater before - before I discovered the camera, you know, seeing everything, requiring much less acting and - and much less presentation, much less projecting, more just being. ~ Ian McKellen

I was brought up in industrial south Lancashire, down the cobbled road from where LS Lowry (1887-1976) lived and painted. ~ Ian McKellen

As for the clarity of the 48 frames, I've heard people say that it looks odd, it's too demanding, there's too much information, you don't know where to look. ~ Ian McKellen

My friends are my family. ~ Ian McKellen

Why live outside the US? Do you want health care or safe food products or democracy or something? They're all overrated. Stay for the excellent cable TV. ~ Ian McKellen

There's something wholesome about the theatre. ~ Ian McKellen

There are some fantastic parts for older actors. ~ Ian McKellen

What's nice for me, having identified myself for years as being rather shy, is now, wherever I am, in public, there tends to be a friendly face who's pleased to see me, and I like that. ~ Ian McKellen

I think I'm a bit gruffer than I used to be, and I'm certainly older. ~ Ian McKellen

If I have any audience, they can know that anything I am in, I would go see, with the expectation of being really satisfied. ~ Ian McKellen

I've often thought the Bible should have a disclaimer in the front saying, 'This is fiction.' ~ Ian McKellen

The first film role I deliberately chose to play after I came out was a raging heterosexual, John Profumo. ~ Ian McKellen

Magneto wants to cope with the difficulties thrust upon him by society and by his own nature. ~ Ian McKellen

I am very lucky to be man because women have a terrible time getting older parts. It's much more difficult. ~ Ian McKellen

Theatre outings are my favourite thing to spend money on. The most influential play I saw was 'Bent,' which starred Ian McKellen. And I loved the original performance of 'The Rocky Horror Show,' with Richard O'Brien and Tim Curry at the Royal Court, when I was about 15. ~ Dawn French

My own death threats have declined considerably. ~ Ian McKellen

[There's] nothing special about an actor's imagination, except that he uses it a lot. ~ Ian McKellen

If you are playing King Lear you are the centre of attention anyway. You don't need to draw attention to yourself. It's all laid out for you. ~ Ian McKellen