I think the point to be understood is that we're all different. I've never been a fan of theories of acting. I didn't go to drama school, so I was never put through a training that was limited by someone saying, 'This is the way you should act.' - Ian McKellen
I think with Shakespeare you can be required to do absolutely anything at the turn of a sixpence - suddenly you go into a battle, suddenly you utter something passionate. - Ian McKellen
I used to comfort myself when I became an actor that it was a useful job, entertaining people. And it was important to do it as well as you possibly can. - Ian McKellen
I used to think 'King Lear' was an analysis of insanity, but I don't really think it is. When Lear is supposed to be at his most insane, he is actually understanding the world for the first time. - Ian McKellen
I'm not someone who wears shades all the time and ducks into a darkened car in case I'm recognized - that would be absolute misery. - Ian McKellen
I'm only an actor. I'm not a writer. I'm not going to leave any legacy. All I've ever done is learn the lines and say them. - Ian McKellen
Imagine trying to be a gay actor, a gay anything in modern Russia? Where to be positively oneself, to be affectionate in public with someone you love of the same gender, or to talk of that love in the hearing of anyone under 18, will put you prison? - Ian McKellen
In Singapore, Malcolm X type of activity would be extremely difficult because the government can be very harsh on lawbreakers. - Ian McKellen
It was wrongly assumed that I wished to become some sort of leader among gay activists, whereas in reality I was happier to be a foot soldier. - Ian McKellen
It's only fair that stable gay relationships of long standing should have the same rights and responsibilities as married couples. I know the image of gay marriage is to some people horrific and ludicrous. - Ian McKellen
'King Lear,' I've been seeing all my life. I mean, the great actors of my lifetime... to join their company, as it were, by playing a part that's challenged them, is one of the great joys of being an actor who does the classics. - Ian McKellen
Macbeth is a very popular play with audiences. If you want to sell out a theater, just mount a production of Macbeth. It's a short play, it's an exciting play, it's easy to understand, and it attracts great acting. - Ian McKellen
Magneto wants to cope with the difficulties thrust upon him by society and by his own nature. - Ian McKellen
Most actors are not rich - they are very poor indeed. What keeps them going is that they just love the job. - Ian McKellen
On the whole, actors shout when they don't know what they're doing, trying to make an impact. - Ian McKellen
People who are truly horrible are often the most interesting people in the room. You look at them and just say, 'Why?' - Ian McKellen
Splendid architecture, the love of your life, an old friend... they can all go drifting by unseen if you're not careful. - Ian McKellen
That was the big effect Lord of the Rings had on me. It was discovering New Zealand. And even more precious were the people- not at all like the Australians. - Ian McKellen
The battle going on over gay marriage in America reveals an awful lot. The Bible belt - people hate gay people. Because the Bible tells them? No, the Bible tells them an awful lot of things that they ignore. - Ian McKellen
The huge difference in my lifetime is that you can just go up to somebody and make a pass. You couldn't do that in the 1950s if you were gay. There were secret handshakes, a secret language. There was nowhere you could go to be romantic outside of people's houses. - Ian McKellen
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