Home / Arts and Entertainment / McKellen reveals Guinness's gay rights advice
McKellen reveals Guinness's gay rights advice
11 May
Summary
- Guinness advised McKellen against supporting gay rights.
- McKellen publicly came out as gay in 1988 at age 48.
- McKellen encourages closeted actors to come out.
Sir Ian McKellen has disclosed that the late actor Alec Guinness advised him against publicly supporting gay rights. In an interview, McKellen recounted that Guinness, during an Italian lunch, pleaded with him to withdraw his support for Stonewall, a group advocating for equal rights for gay citizens in the UK.
McKellen, who came out as gay in 1988 at 48, chose not to follow Guinness's counsel. He recently revisited this memory after seeing a play about Guinness. McKellen has consistently advocated for public figures to live openly, stating that he has never met anyone who regretted coming out and encouraging closeted individuals to listen to their hearts.
He also noted the absence of openly gay Oscar winners for best actor, UK Prime Ministers, or Premier League players. McKellen suggested that young footballers might receive poor advice from agents concerned about their careers, but believes the first openly gay Premier League player would gain immense global recognition.
