Ian McKellen Says 'Star Wars' Great Urged Him To Stay Quiet On Gay Rights

LOADINGERROR LOADINGAs the man who brought one of the world’s canniest characters to life on screen, it’s no surprise that actor Ian McKellen is full of his own wisdom.In a Q&A for The Guardian that was published last week, the “Lord of the Rings” legend weighed in on the “worst piece of advice” he’d ever received, and why, like the wizard Gandalf, he decided to remain steadfast to his principles.Advertisement According to McKellen, English acting luminary Alec Guinness once urged him to cease his LGBTQ+ advocacy.McKellen recalled a lunch he once shared with the “Star Wars” icon in London in the late 1980s, and said the pair had casually “chatted about this and that” before Guinness “brought up the real reason for his invitation.”Ian McKellen, during a February stop by "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," told The Guardian about the "worst" advice he ever received in a Q&A published last week.CBS Photo Archive via Getty ImagesMcKellen founded the LGBTQ+ rights charity Stonewall shortly after coming out as gay in 1988.

As the group lobbied against discriminatory laws put in place by the U.K.’s Conservative-led government, McKellen recalled how Guinness had said it was “somewhat unseemly for an actor to dabble in public or political affairs and advised me, sort of pleaded with me, to withdraw.”Advertisement McKellen said he regarded Guinness’ guidance as “advice from an older generation,” which he “didn’t follow.”Alec Guinness, pictured in a still from 1977's "Star Wars" alongside Mark Hamill, right, once urged Ian McKellen to quit his LGBTQ+ advocacy.Sunset Boulevard via Getty ImagesLooking back on the interaction decades later, McKellen wondered if Guinness’ apprehension may have been due to a “latent bisexuality” that he said was hinted at in the one-man play, “Two Halves of Guinness.” Advertisement McKellen described the same conversation in 2014 during a Pride Month gala in London.Rem...