Sir Ian McKellen rejected Sir Alec Guinness’ wish that he would keep quiet about LGBTQ+ rights in public.
“Worst Piece of Advice”
The 86-year-old actor was quick to say Star Wars legend Alec’s tip when asked by a fan for “the worst piece of advice” he has ever received.
In a Q+A interview with The Guardian, Ian went back to 1979 for his response. Alec, who was allegedly bisexual, watched the former perform in Martin Sherman’s Bent. Guinness was regarded as “one of Britain’s best-known and respected actors.”
The Lord of the Rings icon Ian recalled, “Alec Guinness sat rather primly in my dressing room, enthusing about the play before inviting me out to supper. I stupidly declined, but a decade later was given a second chance to meet up with the great man.”
The entertainer continued, “He took me for an Italian lunch in Pimlico, where we chatted about this and that until he brought up the real reason for his invitation.”
“He had heard about my work to establish Stonewall – a lobby group to present to the government and the world at large the case for treating UK lesbians and gays equally under the law with the rest of the population.”
“He thought it somewhat unseemly for an actor to dabble in public or political affairs and advised me, sort of pleaded with me, to withdraw. Advice from an older generation, which I didn’t follow.”
Guiness’ Sexuality
Ian came out as gay during a BBC radio interview in 1988. He is a big supporter of the LGBTQ+ community. He remembered his and Alec’s chat when the former watched Two Halves of Guinness.
The X-Men cast member described the production as a “solo show which hints at Sir Alec’s latent bisexuality in a way that would have upset him, I suppose – Zeb Soanes’ immaculate impersonation notwithstanding.”
Three biographies alleged that Alec was bisexual. They followed the Lawrence of Arabia actor’s death from liver cancer in August 2000 at the age of 86.
And it was claimed that Alec’s alleged bisexuality had “always been known” to his family and pals.
From 1938 until 2000, The Bridge on the River Kwai alum was married to Merula Salaman. He met her during a production of Noah, in which Alec played a wolf, and Merula portrayed a tiger.
In 1940, the couple had a son named Matthew Guinness, 85, and he went on to become an actor. Matthew starred in the 1976 comedy-drama, Nuts in May, and the 1986 romance-drama, Lady Jane.