Sir Ian McKellen has shared how a fat suit helped protect him from more severe injuries when he fell off the stage during a West End performance in June.
In his first interview since the accident, the 85-year-old actor revealed that he is now too afraid to leave his home after chipping a vertebra and fracturing his wrist in the incident.
McKellen was portraying John Falstaff in Player Kings at the Noel Coward Theatre in London when the fall occurred during a battle scene.
After tripping on a newspaper and getting his foot caught on a chair, he tumbled into the front row, screaming in horror. The injuries forced him to withdraw from the show, and he is currently recovering while wearing a neck brace.
The Lord of the Rings star described the “agonising” pain he's been dealing with, which has made him anxious about going outside for fear of being bumped into by others.
Reflecting on the incident, he also questioned whether he's "too old to act" after such a fall. Despite this, McKellen acknowledged that he had a “lucky escape” as the fat suit he wore for the role cushioned his ribs and joints, preventing more serious damage.
Speaking to Saga Magazine, McKellen said: ”My chipped vertebrae and fractured wrist are not yet healed. I avoid going out because I'm nervous someone might bump into me, and I've been dealing with agonizing pain in my shoulders due to the jolt my body took.
“But the fat suit I wore for Falstaff saved my ribs and other joints, so I consider myself lucky."
Reflecting on the accident, he added: “I've relived that fall countless times. It was horrible."
Reflecting on his fears about aging and its impact on his acting career, the British star admitted: "I thought it was the end of something. It was very upsetting. The end didn’t mean my death, but it felt like the end of my participation in the play."
The actor reassured himself that his age wasn’t the reason for the accident. He said : "I have to keep telling myself I’m not too old to act. It was just a bloody accident. I didn’t lose consciousness, I hadn’t been dizzy, but I’ve not been able to return to the stage, and they’ve continued without me."
Following the fall, he spent three nights in the hospital, recovering from wrist and neck injuries that prevented him from finishing the run of Player Kings.
Even six weeks after the incident, he was still in recovery, arriving at the Theatre Royal in Newcastle wearing a neck brace and wrist support.
Despite his injuries, the stage star made a brave appearance at the final performance of Player Kings in Newcastle, surprising the cast after being forced to withdraw from the show. Earlier that day, he took to Instagram to share the news that he would be part of the audience for the matinee.
He wrote alongside the image: “On the day of the 101st and final performance of Player Kings—without me—I celebrated by removing Falstaff’s hair, which has been growing for 9 months. I will be in the audience for the matinee in Newcastle.”
