Out British actor Sir Ian McKellen says
that being open about his sexuality cost him a role in 1983.
McKellen is the subject of the new
documentary McKellen: Playing
the Part.
Speaking with Time Out London,
McKellen, who came out publicly in 1988, was asked his thoughts on
why “there are so few gay characters in blockbusters?”
“Well, nobody looks to Hollywood for
social commentary, do they?” McKellen
answered. “They only recently discovered that there were black
people in the world. Hollywood has mistreated women in every possible
way throughout its history. Gay men don’t exist. Gods and
Monsters [1998], I think, was the beginning of Hollywood
admitting that there were gay people knocking around, even though
half of Hollywood is gay.”
“Did coming out ever cost you any
roles?”
“One. Harold Pinter wanted me to be
in a film of his [1983’s Betrayal] and he took me to meet
the producer, Sam Spiegel. We sat in Spiegel’s office and I
happened to say that I was going to New York. He said, 'Will you be
taking the family?' And I said, 'I don’t have a family, I’m gay.'
I think it was the first time I came out to anyone. Well, I was out
of that office in two minutes. It took Pinter 25 years to apologize
for not sticking up for me. But young actors in London now have all
been out for years. That’s the future,” McKellen said.