Ian McKellen once snuck out of a Buckingham Palace party with Judi Dench to go sit on the Queen's throne
The hilarious anecdote is a deleted scene from the upcoming documentary McKellen: Playing the Part
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A childhood spent in wartime, a pioneer of theatre, a leader for equality.
Ian McKellen‘s life – in private, on stage, and on screen – is truly one to inspire. A new documentary, titled McKellen: Playing the Part and directed by Joe Stephenson, builds itself around a 14-hour interview with the screen icon, from his early days working through repertory and West End theatre to his mainstream hits as Magneto and Gandalf.
The film also has unprecedented access to private photo albums, never-before-seen archive material, including diaries written when he was 12, unseen behind the scenes of theatre shows and films, alongside his personal reflection.
The likes of Luke Evans, Frances Barber, Adam Brown, Scott Chambers, Milo Parker and Edward Petherbridge also pitch in for a few dramatic recreations.
A new, exclusive clip sees one story that didn’t make the final cut: McKellen recalls the time he and fellow thespian Judi Dench attended a banquet in Buckingham Palace, surreptitiously making their way behind the scenes – and taking a seat on the royal thrones.
“Ian was sceptical all along the way as to whether his life was interesting enough, and whether there was an audience out there interested enough,” Stephenson said of the film.
“Time will tell, but learning about his life on this level has only made me more inspired and more grateful to be able to call him a friend. It has been an honour to be trusted with his story, and I hope audiences enjoy his journey as much as I have enjoyed discovering it.”
McKellen: Playing the Part, featuring a live Q&A with Ian McKellen, Derek Jacobi and others and hosted by Graham Norton will be broadcast live to cinemas across the UK on Sunday 27 May. Find your local screening here.
Follow Independent Culture on Facebook for all the latest on Film, TV, Music, and more.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments