This week we look at out actor Sir Ian McKellen, whose career has spanned both stage and screen for over 40 years. McKellen won a Tony Award for his portryal of Salieri in Amadeus and was nominated for an Oscar for his role as James Whale in Gods and Monsters. He is also well known for his roles as Gandalf in Lord of the Rings and Magneto in X-Men. McKellen was knighted in 1991 for his outstanding contributions to the theater.
McKellen was out to his fellow actors since early in his career but did not come out publicly until 1988. He is a co-founder of Stonewall, a gay rights lobby group in Britain. When McKellen was lobbying against an anti-gay rights bill, he visited the Conservative Environment Secretary, Michael Howard, to try and persuade Howard to change his position. Howard refused to change his mind, but did request an autograph for his kids. McKellen complied, but wrote, "Fuck off, I'm gay." Check out Sir Ian McKellen's website at http://www.mckellen.com/.
Sir Ian is one of my heroes, as an actor, as a vocal gay activist, as an human being. Thank you, Wicked, for this spotlight.
ReplyDeleteOh, and FYI, he was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his Gandalf in "Fellowship of the Ring."
Like M said in the previous thread, I had to go see this Gyllenbabble blog for myself. I noticed a few things-
ReplyDelete1. it's a pretty good blog
2.there were almost no comments that departed from the Jeese party line
3.comments didn't seem to be moderated over there
4. points 2 & 3 taken together mean that people from here, WFT, or anywhere else are not going over there and causing trouble
5. OMG outcomments the Gyllenbabblers more than 3-1
Oh, and FYI, he was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his Gandalf in "Fellowship of the Ring."
ReplyDeleteAnd he should have won for this role me. I believe this is another example of the Homophobia which is rampamt in the inner circles of HW. He was the favorite to win that year.
Me, hello, so good to see you around. Sir Ian became one of my heroes when I read that "Fuck off" anecdote!
ReplyDeletepeople from here, WFT, or anywhere else are not going over there and causing trouble
As I both hoped and suspected. Please let this continue.
^^I loved that, too Wicked. It's wonderful to have a spotlight for Sir Ian. Love the picture too. As always, great music. :*
ReplyDelete((me)) Great to see you!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Ian McKellan role is a small role in a movie Cold Comfort Farm. He plays Amos who is preacher who only wants to get a Ford camper van to go out and preacher about the sinful nature of man. Ian plays it to the hilt!
Sir Ian McKellen - The Times interview
ReplyDelete"The angry McKellen of old was known to rail against the closeted Hollywood stars, complaining that it was "disgusting" and "distasteful" but now he reserves his judgmentalism for the industry itself. He finds it baffling and beyond hypocritical that West Hollywood is so gay-friendly one of the first places in the world where openly "out" policemen patrolled the streets "and, yet, cheek by jowl with all that liberal attitude, you have a local industry which is saying to local people who live in the area 'When you come to work, you are not gay.' And I think to myself, 'Can people whose minds work like that make good films? And if at the heart of Hollywood there is that lie, how many other lies are there?'
"And it's the producers who have this problem God knows what sort of people they are who think that it's impossible for you and me to fancy the same person. Well, what dull lives they must have. And then to think that one's initial reaction to the romantic lead is to want to get into bed with them when that may not be the case at all. Why do you have to fancy the romantic lead? But these people think that's what films are about: titillating the genitalia of the audience."
There's an element of fantasy in fancying anyone anyway, isn't there? "Well, of course. Who's going to get the chance to sleep with Brad Pitt? You're not going to meet him. Stop it. So it doesn't matter whether he's gay or whatever he is."
All hail the king
^^Fantastic thoughts from Sir Ian McKellen, so true.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant lyrics to today's song by Jeff Buckley, btw. *sigh* :')
is the gyllenbubble run by the same person who used to run gyllenspoon? Because to me they look awfully the same.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I should have said brilliant Leonard Cohen lyrics to today's song. *sigh* Just beautiful.
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing anecdote re. "Fuck off, I'm gay!". I had never heard about that. So cool. Sir Ian was also a big support of the offspring same-sex immigration pressure/support group Stonewall Immigration when I was based in the UK, and I once glimpsed him across the room at a fundraiser.
ReplyDeleteFor those who don't know, until 1999 UK citizens and residents couldn't bring their same-sex partners into the UK for any reason (and under a rule called the Primary Purpose law, if you were suspected of being in the country for the sake of a gay lover, even if you were there for a legal reason with a legal tourist/student/working visa, you were thrown out of the UK forever).
Both laws were stripped when the Tories lost power - too late for me to see my dying grandfather in California, as I was in the middle of an appeal process to stay with my girlfriend in the UK, and leaving and re-entering would have violated the Primary Purpose law.
The vast majority of both straight and gay people don't know about how horrible the same-sex immigration situation still is in the USA, where I still cannot sponsor my girlfriend of 13 years (thankfully, she won the now-defunct green card lottery). Families and couples are regularly torn up and deported.
Sir Ian spoke out about this when every day I was was worried I was going to be shipped out of the UK when my second appeal didn't go through. Like the campaigner Peter Tatchell, he is a brave man on many fronts.
I think that Ian McKellan may have reached that dubious honour of being dubbed a 'national treasure' here in the UK.
ReplyDeleteAs well as all his very serious film and stage work he also makes a very good pantomine dame
http://www.mckellen.com/stage/aladdin/
and was also quite recently had a role in Coronation Street (long running soap opera)
http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,,1434836,00.html
so he can't take himself too seriously which is very refreshing.
Hi Me, glad to see you're still around, I hope you had a happy Hanukah.
ReplyDeleteThere was a very good profile of Ian in the New Yorker earlier this year. Among other things it mentioned that autograph story, which I had not heard before. Another thing I like about him is that even if he didn't completely come out until later years, he never bearded.
The immigration situation is awful here in the U.S. There is a goup that works on those issues called Immigration Equality and I get newsletters from them.
Ian is wonderful and definitely a national treasure. It was great to see him and Jake spending so long chatting at BAFTA this year - TV coverage only showed the later part where they were messing around with Ruby Wax and the oft-repeated jellyfish anecdote, but Sir Ian was actually the only person Jake spent any time with outside the event.
ReplyDeletePeter Tatchell would be a great future focus, what a hero he is.
I love Ian McKellan as an actor and I love the fact that he's always so direct when voicing his opinions. He never leaves you guessing about where he stands on any issue. That "fuck off" anecdote epitomizes everything I admire about him.
ReplyDeleteAnother hectic day over here so I'm mostly an on-and-off lurker today. Thanks for another great Spotlight - about one of my fav actor on top of it! And that beautiful song... so glad I now have the CD and can enjoy it over and over again! :)
ReplyDeleteLondon tb, that was great to see Ian and Jake together. They had such a great chemistry and seemed to enjoy each others company! And the stuff with Ruby was hilarious. :)
ReplyDeleteSame, Gyllenbabble is run by Ultraviolet, a regular on JW. I don't think she is the same person who ran Gyllenspoon.
ReplyDeleteDaff, that is so sad that you couldn't come home to see your dying grandfather. I have a good friend who is Lebanese and her partner is Belgian. My Lebanese friend has citizenship but her partner does not. It took them years and many dollars in legal fees to ensure her partner could stay here. If they could have legally married this would have never been an issue.
ReplyDeleteWe just received an e-mail from a friend living in NYC. In addition to his other news, he said he sees Maggie Gyllenhaal almost every Sunday at his local coffee shop and she seems very nice. He said that one time she clapped for him when he did a trick on his bike while waiting at a stoplight.
ReplyDeleteI have to share...hope it's OK...
ReplyDeleteI missed the Writers' Guild nominations in the midst of all the rest...but Austin's new show...which I've always loved...and love even more when I see his beautiful self on screen... has been nominated.
see below...
Writers Guild nominates Friday Night Lights
WGA
Dramatic Series
"Dexter," Showtime
"Friday Night Lights," NBC
"Mad Men," AMC
"The Sopranos," HBO
"The Wire," HBO
Does anyone think it's strange that the original Gyllenspoon digest blogger just disappeared off the face of the earth? She never resurfaced to say what caused her to stop blogging.
ReplyDeleteThe Zen Gyllenhaal blogger has also disappeared. I think the Reeke was too much for her to handle.
On topic: I live in a state where gay marriage is legal and recognized but since it is not recoginized federally there are many rights that are not available to married same sex couples. It is just not right IMO. What can you do but to keep voting for democrats and hope for a change. It's just a horrible injustice.
tr.. yes it is weird that the original gyllenspoon blogger just disappeared. Its almost like they suddenly realised they'd were being taken for a ride and gave up in disgust, can't blame them really.
ReplyDeleteTV coverage only showed the later part where they were messing around with Ruby Wax and the oft-repeated jellyfish anecdote, but Sir Ian was actually the only person Jake spent any time with outside the event.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know this London Tb, thanks for pointing it out. I remember being happy to see them joking together, particularly since some wanted us to believe there was some kind of "coolness" between them. Now knowing their messing around was not just a little PR trick is heart-warming… though I wonder what their conversation would sound like if they were to meet now! ;)
These immigration issues and the heartbreaks they cause are truly awful. And thanks Wicked for mentioning the role that a legally recognized marriage can play in avoiding the pain in certain of these cases. Sometimes it seems to me that some Americans are not so much insensitive to the case for legalizing same-sex marriage as totally unaware of all the legal & monetary impacts, not to mention personal tragedies (I've read of people losing their house when their partner died) the current situation entails.
I think we should simply let Gyllenspooners do their gyllenspooning and not worry too much about it. :)
ReplyDeleteBy the way, thanks for the great news Gyllenspooner. The first season of FNL is actually on the Christmas wish list I'm currently sending around to friends and family. :D
I read somewhere that in the US there are over 1,000 rights that automatically convey when you're married. Gay couples have to go to lawyers and notaries on their own to get as many rights as they can, and of course, some of these rights gay couples just cannot get. For example, my Mrs. works for the federal government. I am not eligible to receive her federal pension in the event of her death. I would be if we were legally married.
ReplyDeleteTR, my understanding about what happened to the Gyllenspoon Digest was that the woman who ran it did not have a very thick skin in dealing with visitors to her blog who did not agree with her party line. I think this is somewhat strange because she was moderating comments and could get rid of anything unwanted. Also, she wanted some help in running the blog and she did not get it.
ReplyDeleteknowing their messing around was not just a little PR trick is heart-warming
ReplyDeleteOh, and how do you know that, Frenchy? I thought everything JG does is a PR trick, isn't it? Or is it that only the things you don't like are PR tricks and the rest is oh so spontaneous? Unbeleavable.
As one who has followed Jake for over 2 yrs via the internet, I have seen a few blogs come and go. People's interest seems to have a life span and real life gets in the way. It's a lot of work to find interesting stuff to post day after day. A full time job really. I dont know how you guys do it, but am most grateful that you do. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteGood news about FNL, but must say I am rooting for Dexter and/or the Wire. Both spectacular shows.The wire is the best overall, but this most recent season of Dexter is beyond great.
The spotlight loves Ian McKellen; always well-deserved! Meg, I'm so glad you mentioned his few episodes on Coronation St., he was fantastic in that.
ReplyDeleteI dont know how you guys do it, but am most grateful that you do.
ReplyDeleteWe don't do it alone. Spesh and I have each other, and you guys. It's a symbiotic relationship.
We don't do it alone. Spesh and I have each other, and you guys. It's a symbiotic relationship.
ReplyDeleteTotally Wicked totally.
what I find strange about the gyllenspoon site is not that they did not want to continue, but that they disappeared. You can stop posting new entries and lock down your comment sections etc, but do you can leave the old post available to access. Especially after putting in some work I am not sure why you would want all of it to go. Your readers become contributor as well, so I feel that if I ever had a blog with a number of readers I would not just shut down like that. Did they even say they were going to?
ReplyDeleteI know it, 8:37 - I was there.
ReplyDeleteJake and Sir Ian chatted animatedly for five to ten minutes before the TV interview started. Why challenge everything? This is a reliable, eye-witness report and I have three non-TB witnesses who would agree with me, one of whom posted above.
Zero, I think feelings got hurt and somebody just decided to take her ball and go home.
ReplyDelete