Acting titan Sir Ian McKellen has confirmed that starring in a musical is next on his performance wish list. Whilst McKellen's famed role as Gandalf the Grey in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies is arguably his most well-known, the Academy Award-nominee is renowned for having an extensive body of work on stage and screen. His impressive diversity of roles range from Frankenstein director James Whale, to X-Men foil Magneto, with the actor most recently seen on screen in the British science-fiction thriller Infinitum: Subject Unknown, which was completely shot during the first COVID-19 lockdown.
However, while the Middle Earth star has become one of cinema's most recognisable and beloved talents, it's clear that it hasn't all been smooth sailing for the 82-year-old. McKellen even came close to quitting acting altogether while filming The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in 2011, thanks to the unusual demands of the production forcing him to act without his fellow co-stars. But despite this hiccup, the actor continued with his career and McKellen went on to play more iconic roles like Sherlock Holmes, and even appeared in a Doctor Who Christmas special as classic villain The Great Intelligence.
Now it seems that the Shakespeare veteran still has one last ambition to tick-off his career bucket-list. In an interview on BBC Radio 4 (via Deadline), McKellen confessed that while he feels he "doesn't have much to prove anymore" as an actor, starring in a musical is "one of the few areas left." He then proceeds to outline a rather self-deprecating account of his vocal expertise before further elaborating on his desire to take on the challenge regardless:
"I can hold a tune but I’m not a proper singer. I’m available but incompetent ... I don’t feel I have much to prove in my career anymore so why not just do the things I enjoy doing, like getting in front of an audience and entertaining them."
McKellen is certainly no stranger to taking on roles that require a dexterity for singing. Indeed, his appearance in Tom Hooper's infamous adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats as Gus the Theatre Cat, as well as his performance as Cogsworth in Disney's remake of Beauty and the Beast seem to have established him as a Hollywood go-to for notable supporting roles in movie musicals. And whilst McKellen didn't quite specify whether he would like to take on a lead musical role onstage or on film, his longing to "[get] in front of an audience and entertain them" does suggest a preference towards a more theatrical performance for his debut.
Many fans of the Lord of the Rings star may find his self-effacing comments rather harsh given his previous track-record of musical appearances. Of course, taking on a starring role in such productions naturally demands very different requirements of its actor than a supporting role does, especially onstage, which is something McKellen is evidently very aware of. However, whether the actor proves to be up to the challenge or not, his devotion to entertaining audiences by simply taking on the roles that he finds the most appealing, will undoubtedly help preserve preserve Sir Ian McKellen's reputation as one Hollywood's most endearing actors working today.
Source: BBC Radio 4 (via Deadline)