At 86, legendary actor Ian McKellen is reflecting candidly on aging and the reality of mortality following a frightening onstage accident last year. The veteran performer says the experience shifted his perspective but hasn’t slowed his passion for work.
Ian McKellen talks about his life
In a candid chat with The Times, Sir Ian McKellen reflected on how his mindset has shifted following a serious fall during a London stage performance in June 2024. The accident left him in the hospital with a fractured wrist and a chipped vertebra, prompting the veteran star to take a hard, honest look at his own limits.
McKellen admitted that he no longer sees himself as “immortal.” Even so, the acclaimed actor stressed that he still feels fully ready to keep doing what he loves. He also shared that thinking about mortality comes naturally at this stage of life, especially as he has watched more friends pass away over the years. “When you are young, death is astonishing, a fascinating thing, but it’s a feature of getting older. Death becomes ever-present,” the legendary actor said.
The accident pushed Sir Ian McKellen to temporarily step back from his stage run in Player Kings. On doctors’ orders, he also missed the 2025 premiere of his film The Christophers at the Toronto International Film Festival. In a pre-recorded message at the time, the veteran performer said he was choosing caution first, calling it “better safe than sorry.”
Now steadily working his way back, McKellen has returned to the spotlight through the experimental play An Ark, currently running at The Shed in New York City. The cutting-edge production leans heavily on virtual reality, letting actors appear before audiences without physically sharing the same stage.
With a busy lineup ahead, Sir Ian McKellen is far from slowing down. He leads The Christophers, helmed by Steven Soderbergh from a script by Ed Solomon, and shares the screen with Michaela Coel, James Corden, and Jessica Gunning. McKellen is also preparing for Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol, in which he will star alongside Johnny Depp, and is set to reprise his iconic portrayal of Magneto in Avengers: Doomsday.
Originally reported by Rishabh Shandilya on Mandatory.
