Veteran actor, Sir Ian McKellen, has confirmed that despite injuring himself on stage earlier this year, he has no plans to retire from acting. Speaking to the BBC, Sir Ian explained, “I shall just keep at it as long as the legs and the lungs and the mind keep working.” The actor went on to comment that he will “take the rest of the year off” and recuperate.
Sir Ian famously played the wizard Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and has confirmed he hopes to continue the role, despite a new adaptation of the franchise being in development directed by actor Andy Serkis. McKellen declared, “I’m not letting anyone else put on the pointy hat and beard if I can help it,” adding that the “enthusiasm for The Lord of the Rings shows no sign of abating.”
The 85-year-old actor fell off stage in June whilst performing in Player Kings in London’s West End, breaking his wrist and chipping one of his vertebrae. He spoke candidly to BBC Radio 4’s Today program, discussing his experience of the event and how he felt afterwards. He said, “It’s emotionally that I’ve got some residue that I’ve got to deal with. I said to myself as I tripped and slid off the stage, ‘This is the end’.” McKellen revealed that following the fall he was left “feeling weak physically” but has been taking steps to address this and plan his next move.
Despite this setback, it has been confirmed that the actor is not going to retire. He has several projects in the works and is “taking the rest of the year off” to give himself a chance to recover. Currently, no release date has been set for the upcoming Lord of the Rings adaptation, titled The Hunt for Gollum
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