Oct 16
Gay Twitter Goes Wild After Sir Ian McKellen, 85, Takes to the London Dance Floor
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Screen legend Sir Ian McKellen, 85, belied his years when he took to a London dance floor despite having taken a nasty fall off a stage only a few months ago.
McKellen "took time out from the dance floor to pose with two topless hunks as he joined revelers at Roast, a men-only club night in North London," recounted UK newspaper the Daily Mail.
"While most partygoers wore very few items of clothing, the 'Lord of The Rings' actor flaunted his slender figure in a vintage floral red shirt," the Mail continued.
The actor's most famous role was evidently on the mind of his fellow clubgoers; the Mail reported that one cheeky fellow greeted McKellen as "Gandolf the Gay," a riff on the name of his character, Gandalf the Grey, in the films based on the novels by J.R.R. Tolkien.
One club patron took to X (formerly Twitter) with a snap of the famous actor, posting, "WHY IS IAN MCKELLEN AT ROAST????"
The image prompted headlines about the famed actor leaving onlookers "gobsmacked" as he "lived his best life" by heading out for a night on the town.
Elsewhere on social media, Roast made its own post of a photo of Sir Ian at the event elsewhere on social media, the Mail noted, giving one wag the opportunity to declare, "Gandalf flakes on every battle but turns up to Roast."
Fans came to McKellen offering their best wishes for his good health, considering he fell off a stage in London's West End this past June while acting in a version of "Henry IV" titled "Player Kings." He chipped a vertebra and broke his wrist.
The accident left McKellen contemplating his own mortality. He explained to Sky News that he would not be taking a full half year off from work following the tumble. "I'm just aware there isn't much time left," he told the outlet, "and so I'm giving myself three months off instead of six months."
But the "X-Men" actor showed no sign of the summer's trauma, the Mail said.
Gay Twitter went mental as photos of McKellen at the gay dance event circulated.
This past weekend's jaunt to a gay night spot was hardly a first for the actor, who braved the prejudices of the times and of his industry when he came out in 1988.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
