Quotes by 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 well all be happy.”

“If youve got Mystique as your girlfriend the fun you could have in bed - Ive just imagined X-Men 3 might open with me in bed with Patrick Stewart.”

“I think the point to be understood is that were all different. Ive never been a fan of theories of acting. I didnt go to drama school, so I was never put through a training that was limited by someone saying, This is the way you should act.”

“It may be my rather puritanical upbringing at odds with my inborn laziness that makes me feel guilty at the end of the day, unless I am able to point at some achievement. But this need be no more impressive than cooking a meal or going for a long walk.”

“It was wrongly assumed that I wished to become some sort of leader among gay activists, whereas in reality I was happier to be a foot soldier.”

“I have never wanted to be typecast, one of those actors who plays a variation on a one-note theme. So just as I enjoy playing a wide variety of characters, from good to bad to ugly to cute - so I have enjoyed of late working in film and television, as well as in theatres of various sizes and shapes.”

“That was the big effect Lord of the Rings had on me. It was discovering New Zealand. And even more precious were the people- not at all like the Australians.”

“Before acting, I wanted to become a journalist. I also toyed with the idea of being a chef - but thats only when people asked me what I wanted to be. In fact, I always used to say I wanted to be an actor, but I didnt ever believe that I was good enough to be come one.”

“I dont make much distinction between being a stand-up comic and acting Shakespeare - in fact, unless youre a good comedian, youre never going to be able to play Hamlet properly.”

I certainly dont disparage someone whose attitude towards their work is utterly different from mine - thats up to them.

I have got prostate cancer, and I have to keep monitoring that. Its no problem, its under control and Im very cool about it, but other people are dying from it.

Im not quite as cool as I would like to be, really.

Godot is whatever it is in life that you are waiting for: Im waiting to win the lottery. Im waiting to fall in love. For me, as a child, it was Christmas. At least that eventually came.

Im fortunate to be famous for two rather imposing characters like Magneto and Gandalf.

The strength of British theatre should be that these actors in their middle years know what theyre doing and are good at it. Not rich, not famous, but making a living.

Id never read Lord of the Rings until I was asked to play Gandalf, so I didnt really know it was a frightfully famous book.

When you grumble about a taxi being dirty, people your own age will absolutely agree with you, whereas younger people say, You should be so lucky to have a taxi - I walk to work! So I have lots of young friends, who fortunately dont treat me as a guru, a person that knows all the answers.

I am lucky, I dont have aches and pains. I do Pilates regularly, which is a series of stretching exercises, and I recommend it to anyone of my age because the temptation is not to exercise when you get older. Well, you should.

Splendid architecture, the love of your life, an old friend... they can all go drifting by unseen if youre not careful.

When wed suggested doing it, the Theatre Royal management had said, Nobody wants to see Waiting for Godot. As it happened, every single ticket was booked for every single performance, and this confirmation that our judgment was right was sweet. Audiences came to us from all over the world. It was amazing.