Ian McKellen was in New York promoting the AMC movie "The Prisoner," and gave an awesome interview to the L.A. Times. Here are some highlights where he talks about my two favorite subjects: religion and closted actors.
Said the actor: "When I've been asked what should be on my gravestone...I've said: 'Here lies Gandalf. He came out.' Two big achievements."
Said McKellen about religion: "I increasingly see organized religion as actually my enemy. They treat me as their enemy. Not all Christians, of course. Not all Jews, not all Muslims. But the leaders. . . . Why should I take the judgment of a declared celibate about my sexual needs? He's basing his judgment on laws that would fit life in the Bronze Age. So if I'm lost to God, organized religion is to blame."
He also talks about actors who make a deal with the devil to stay in the closet.
"The conventional wisdom is that if you are gay, you cannot play the romantic straight lead in a movie. They'd rather have 'don't ask, don't tell.' The proposition from Mephistopheles as you sign the agreement that you will become a Hollywood star is that you will lie about yourself. That's selling your soul. This business may involve disguise, but it's about telling the truth. And I don't think a closeted actor in this day and age can act as well as an actor who is out."
Ian is absolutely right. Closted actors cannot act as well as someone who is out. As Wanda Sykes said in a recent Oprah interview, "Once your whole truth is out there in the world, you become unstoppable." An actor on the DL cannot truly invest in the role they are playing, because they are so worried about being detectable. So they spend so much time concentrating on not letting any of their flame seep through the cracks. Besides, when was the last time you saw Tom Cruise or John Travolta star in a great film? ian is am amazing actor, and I always love to hear wisdom from rationally smart people and deep thinkers.
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