Sir Ian McKellen wishes he had come out earlier because it made him a better actor.
The
76-year-old star said that he had been using acting as a 'disguise' to
hide his sexuality and that he was ashamed of who he was.
But when acting became about 'telling the truth', the X-Men actor decided he had to come out in 1988 at the age of 49.
He
said: 'I regret and always shall that I didn't see the significance of
coming out at a much earlier date because I think I would have been a
different person and a happier one.'
Sir
Ian, 76, went public amid the controversy over the Section 28
legislation which prevented local authorities from promoting
homosexuality.
Since then the Oscar-nominated star of the Lord of the Rings has become a prominent activist for gay rights.
He told the Huffington Post:
'Self-confidence is the most important thing that anybody can have. You
don't have that if part of you is ashamed or hiding something.
'I
can reassure people who don't feel they're able to, the world will like
you better because people like honesty and authenticity.'
Sir Ian said that his family didn't 'give a damn' about his sexuality and that he knew coming out was the right move.
He
said:
'I think up to that point, I had been using acting as a disguise -
somewhere where I could express my emotions, and draw attention to
myself in a way that I didn't particularly want to do in real life.
'Acting
became not about disguise, but about telling the truth. And my emotions
became much freer. I was able to act better as I think you are able to
do any job. Everyone's better if they're being honest.'
Sir Ian,
who played Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings movies, said he was cautious
about typecasting himself as a gay character after coming out because
he finds heterosexuality 'far too interesting'.
The
76-year-old, who recently starred as an ageing Sherlock in Mr Holmes,
said: 'I didn't turn myself into a queer actor, which I think a lot of
people rather expected I ought to do or that was my new responsibility.
'I
find heterosexuality far too interesting a phenomenon to avoid! Macbeth
isn't gay nor is Richard III, or King Lear. I didn't want to cut myself
off from all those things.'
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