Coming out as a gay man wasn’t difficult because I was well-established and confident: Sir Ian McKellen

“One aspect which was difficult for me and it’s a big part of my life being a gay man in England. It was legal but you had to be 21. It did inhibit me if I had love scene with a girl as I couldn’t fake it. I did try to avoid romantic parts,” said the 76-year old.

It was at 49 when Sir McKellen officially declared his homosexuality to the world by which time almost everyone knew about his homosexual orientation. When asked by Aamir if it was difficult to come out in the open, the Shakespearean actor disagreed and said , “It wasn’t difficult. I was well-established and confident.”

The only worry for Sir McKellen was about losing female fan following. However the same disappeared when there was no decline in his fans mails from women folks. The actor also narrated the story of a female fan who wrote to him citing her disappointment on learning about his homosexual status as she fantasized him as a sex figure. But later on she realised that the actor was her fantasy and she could carry on with it unabated.

The Lord of the Rings actor also took an indirect jibe at Sec 377 of IPC that criminalises homosexuality. When Aamir pointed out that our laws were made by Britishers, Sir McKellen quipped, ” We changed it long back in England but you are holding on to it to protect yourselves from western culture.”

The two-time Oscar nominee also revealed how declaring his homosexuality openly made him a better actor and changed his relationship with everything around him.

Sir McKellen is in the city as part of ‘Shakespeare Lives on Film’, a global programme to celebrate the Bard’s works and his influence on culture, education and society, coinciding with his 400th death anniversary, The event also marked the launch of MAMI film club.

Spotted attending the discussion were some well-heeled denizens of tinsel town like Kangana Ranaut, Sonam Kapoor, Kabir Khan, Vidhu Vinod Chorpa, Kiran Rao, Anupama Chopra and Rajkumar Rao among others.

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