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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Carla Feric

Sir Ian McKellen says it was ‘unexpected’ to play Hamlet in his 80s

Ian McKellen Sir Ian McKellen Shakespeare Alan Cumming National Theatre
Actor Sir Ian McKellen has discussed taking the role of Hamlet three times in his career (Matt Crossick/PA) - (PA Archive)

Actor Sir Ian McKellen has revealed he has taken on the role of Hamlet three times in his career as he discussed how unexpected it was to revisit the part in his 80s.

Speaking during the National Theatre’s roundtable discussion Hamlet In The Round, the 86-year-old talked about playing the character in his 20s as well as in a ballet production.

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