Ian Mckellen Quotes
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I tend to discourage people from calling me 'Sir Ian,' because I don't like being separated out from the rest of the population. Of course, it can be useful if you're writing an official letter, like trying to get a visa or something passed through Parliament. They're impressed by these things.
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Anyone in public life who comes out, comes out primarily for themselves, and their life is immediately improved. That's what happened to me.
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I had never come across the 'X-Men' comics till I was asked to play Magneto, so I just jumped into that job.
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I've always felt that 'X-Men' was about something serious. It wasn't just fantasy.
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I'm an eccentric English actor, and there's a lot of us around.
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I can't take on all the worries of the world, you know. I can only talk about being gay and being an actor. I'll have to leave those other battles to somebody else.
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We are very lucky to be men because women have a terrible time getting older parts. It's much more difficult.
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The press like to talk to actors. They mustn't be surprised when actors talk back to them.
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My friends are my family.
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There are some tremendous actors in the U.K. who have been knighted, and I've spent much of my life admiring many of them, like Laurence Olivier. So it's very flattering to be in their company. But you also end up in the company of people you don't admire, including some rather dodgy politicians.
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If I was a star, it would be difficult to go off and do 'Coronation Street.' So I guess I'm not a star.
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The most likely explanation is the most practical. 'Macbeth' is a very popular play with audiences. If you want to sell out a theater, just mount a production of 'Macbeth'. It's a short play, it's an exciting play, it's easy to understand, and it attracts great acting.
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I'm the sort of person who doesn't write in ink. I only write in pencil, so it can be rubbed out.
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I certainly don't disparage someone whose attitude towards their work is utterly different from mine - that's up to them.
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My ambition is to get better as an actor.
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It's my impression that I've done every job that I've been asked to do.
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If you get criticized, good - I don't think people get criticized enough. People talk behind your back and they criticize you, but they don't often come up and say it to you.
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My own death threats have declined considerably.
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Most actors are not rich - they are very poor indeed. What keeps them going is that they just love the job.
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My reaction to 3D is subtly. Things don't come out at you, but rather you - The audience come into the film.
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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.
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I'm a latecomer to popular TV. This is rather new to me, being in a sitcom. It's been an ambition of mine.
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I'm not experienced enough, or certain enough of my acting on the screen to say to a director, "You are wrong, I am right. I will only do it this way." I could never feel that, I wish I could be absolutely certain. But on the stage, it's different. I know where I am on the stage.
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Acting is no longer about lying. It's now about revealing the truth. People are at ease with me now. Honesty is the best policy.