Sir Ian McKellen, 86, says ‘I’ve needed to settle for that I’m not immortal… dying is ever current’ two years after his horror stage fall
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Sir Ian McKellen has reflected on his horror stage fall two years later, admitting he has had to accept that he is ‘not immortal’.
The actor, 86, fell off the stage of the Noel Coward theatre in the West End in 2024, when he was playing Sir John Falstaff in Shakespeare’s Henry IV – leading to a chipped vertebra and fractured wrist.
When asked how his fall has affected him, he said: ‘I have accepted that I’m not immortal. Yet I still function. And really the inevitability of mortality comes not just from what you are feeling about yourself, but the simple fact that your friends die – all the time.
‘When you are young, death is astonishing, a fascinating thing, but it’s a feature of getting older. Death becomes ever present.’
Sir Ian is one of four actors – including Bridgerton‘s Golda Rosheuvel – taking part in An Ark at the Shed, an experimental VR production.
The actors appear in front of you as you look through mixed reality glasses, allowing them to perform and speak directly to you.
Sir Ian McKellen, 86, has reflected on his horror stage fall two years later, admitting he has had to accept that he is ‘not immortal’ (seen in 2024)
The actor fell off the stage of the Noel Coward theatre in the West End in 2024 – leading to a chipped vertebra and fractured wrist (pictured)
In this radically intimate reimagining of live theatre, they draw you as an audience into a deeply personal exploration of what it means to live, to grieve, and to connect.
As he nears 90, Sir Ian said he thought the project was ‘the safest way of getting back to work’ following his horror fall.
He told The Times: ‘Because if something goes wrong with your body, mind or disposition, you can just stop while filming and say, “Can I have a tea?” You can’t stop live theatre.’
Sir Ian added that he ‘still loves’ doing live theatre and being on stage, adding: ‘I can still remember lines and so, considering my age, all is well.’
His fall saw him forced to pull out of the rest of the run as Sir John Falstaff following the shock injuries which stunned fans.
He later said he felt ‘ashamed’ and ’emotional’ for letting down West End audiences, and said that it had made him ‘aware there isn’t much time left’.
In his chat with The Mirror, Sir Ian gave a nod to his fall, saying: ‘Well, I am in the sense that however hard you are working on a film, it’s not as hard work as being in the theatre or, as I now realise, anywhere near as dangerous…
‘I think if I had been a bit younger, I might have jumped up or sat down or something to stop it. There was something in my head that was saying, ‘This is the end’….
When asked how his fall has affected him, he said: ‘I have accepted that I’m not immortal… Death becomes ever present’
The actor revealed his plans to return to the role which he initially played in Peter Jackson’s film trilogy of The Lord of the Rings – comprising The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King, between 2001 and 2003
‘But it was the end of that production for me. I fell into the lap of someone on the front row. And thanks to that lap, and thanks to the padding I was wearing, I did very little damage, but I thought I was a goner.’
Despite approaching his ninth decade, Sir Ian vowed ‘not to slow down’ amid his health woes.
He said last November: ‘Next year, I’m talking about going back to Middle Earth and reprising a little bit of Gandalf, I am not slowing down.’
The icon insisted he will reprise his iconic role as Gandalf in the next instalment of the Lord Of The Rings.
He revealed his plans to return to the role which he initially played in Peter Jackson’s film trilogy of The Lord of the Rings – comprising The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King, between 2001 and 2003.
A new live-action Lord of the Rings movie, given the working title The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, is scheduled for release on 17 December 2027, with filming pegged to start in New Zealand in May 2026.
