Sir Ian McKellen has revealed that the Star Wars actor Alec Guinness once “pleaded” with him to not actively campaign for gay rights.
The veteran star of stage and screen, best known for his role as Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings franchise, publicly came out as gay in 1988, and a year later was one of the co-founders of the LGBTQ+ lobby group Stonewall. But his role in public campaigning for gay rights was met with disdain by Guinness, he has claimed.