Sir Ian McKellen will not return to acting for the ‘rest of the year’ after his dramatic fall from a stage left him with neck injuries.
While performing Player Kings in London’s West End in June, the 85-year-old legend lost his footing and tumbled into the audience head-first.
He has since said his ‘fat suit’ saved him from worse injuries but was spotted wearing a neck brace — stylishly disguised with a scarf — in the months after.
Sir Ian has also been suffering from wrist problems ever since but reassured fans he was ‘on the mend’ despite the shock fall.
Despite healing well, the two-time Oscar nominee has now confirmed he will ‘take the rest of the year off’ to recover.
‘Of course, it’s emotional,’ he said in an interview with Big Issue. ‘We all trip all our lives, it’s just when you get to my age you can’t always get up again.’
The Noel Coward Theatre fall left the Lord of the Rings star with a chipped vertebrae and fractured wrist, which he is treating with physio.
‘I’m just trying to convince myself it was an accident,’ Sir Ian added with audience members stating he may have tripped on a prop.
He continued: ‘I’m usually working or preparing to work, I’ve been doing a little bit of that, wondering what might be the best plan. I’m going to take the rest of the year off. Not because I need to, just because I want to.’
Sir Ian played John Falstaff in the Robert Icke adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry IV, parts one and two, which ran for 12 weeks in the West End.
He fell on June 17, with the performance halted and evacuated, and did not return for the final shows which concluded on June 22.
The show is now on a national tour, visiting the likes of Birmingham and Newcastle but the Shakespearean actor will not be returning to his role.
Despite his decision to rest for the remainder of the year, Sir Ian is still looking ahead to other roles — including a possible return as Gandalf.
While the Lord of the Rings films are now over 20 years old, rumours have linked the star to spin-off film The Hunt For Gollum, directed by Andy Serkis.
Sir Ian originally played the wizard in the critically acclaimed series and despite his extensive acting career, it remains one of his defining roles along with X-Men.
The Peter Jackson-directed trilogy won a whopping 17 Academy Awards, with the final instalment Return of the King swooping up 11 wins in one night.
It holds the record for most Oscars alongside James Cameron’s Titanic and 1959’s Ben-Hur, directed by William Wyler.
Due to its unwavering popularity, Amazon Prime is currently airing a prequel TV series, The Rings of Power, although this does not feature Sir Ian’s iconic character.
He was however one of the few cast members of the original films who returned for the Hobbit trilogy, along with Andy Serkis as Gollum (also called Smeagol).
Addressing the rumours he grinned that the ‘enthusiasm’ for the franchise, originally created by author J. R. R. Tolkien, shows ‘no sign of abating.’
Sir Ian even teased he could play Gandalf once again but added he couldn’t say much more due to the secrecy around the future of the series.
He added: ‘I’ve just been told there are going to be more films and Gandalf will be involved, and they hope that I’ll be playing him.
‘When? I don’t know. What the script is? It’s not written yet. So, they better be quick.’
Read the full interview with Sir Ian in this week’s Big Issue, out now.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
