Ian McKellen Says Alec Guinness Urged Him to Step Back From Gay Rights Activism

Ian McKellen says fellow actor Alec Guinness once asked him to stop supporting gay rights activism.

In a recent interview with The Guardian, McKellen said Guinness invited him to lunch years ago to talk about McKellen’s work with Stonewall, a U.K. group that campaigns for equal rights for gay people. According to McKellen, Guinness believed actors should stay out of politics and public campaigns.

McKellen said Guinness advised him to “withdraw” from the organization. However, McKellen decided not to follow that advice.

Stonewall was founded in 1989 and became one of the most influential LGBTQ rights groups in Britain.

McKellen, known for roles in “The Lord of the Rings” and “X-Men,” publicly came out as gay in 1988 during a BBC radio interview. He has since become a strong advocate for LGBTQ rights.

Speaking previously to The Times of London, McKellen encouraged other actors and public figures to come out if they feel safe doing so.

“I have never met anybody who came out who regretted it,” he said. He also said some actors and athletes may still receive poor advice from agents worried about business and public image.

McKellen noted that there has never been an openly gay winner of the Oscar for Best Actor, an openly gay U.K. prime minister, or an openly gay active Premier League football player.

He said he believes the first Premier League player to publicly come out as gay would become “the most famous footballer in the world.”

McKellen also recently watched the touring play “Two Halves of Guinness,” which explores the life of Alec Guinness and suggests the actor may have had “latent bisexuality,” according to McKellen.