In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Sir Ian McKellen urges gay actors to come out of the closet.
McKellen himself famously came out in 1988 and told “Awards Chatter” podcast host Scott Feinberg that it only helped his career.
“It all happened after coming out. I had no idea this silly thing was a weight on my shoulders.”
He went on to encourage all gay and lesbian actors to do the same:
“That’s my message to anyone in this town who thinks ‘I’ve got to stay in the closet to be successful in films. I didn’t. Do you want to be a famous movie star who has love scenes with ladies and in private be an unhappy gay? There’s no choice. Forget the career, dear. Go and do something else … A closet’s a really nasty place to live, you know? It’s dirty, it’s dusty, it’s full of skeletons. You don’t want it. Open that door — fling it wide and be yourself.”
McKellen has been a an outspoken advocate on the issue, telling Anderson Cooper in 2012 that he never found a gay person who regretted coming out.
The news comes shortly after Matt Damon suggested the less the public knows about an actor — including his or her sexuality — the better off their careers are.
The only regret McKellen has ever expressed in coming out is not having done it sooner.
Don't agree with him. An artist's sexual preference is none of people's business and if you feel the need to create a fantasy just for the cameras then you really need to stop lying to yourself and find another job where you can express yourself freely
Don't agree with him. An artist's sexual preference is none of people's business and if you feel the need to create a fantasy just for the cameras then you really need to stop lying to yourself and find another job where you can express yourself freely
There's more to coming out than just declaring you're gay. It's being able to live freely and without inhibition. Ian knows this and he knows that a celebrity's personal life is so relentlessly scrutinized. There is not a single closeted homosexual who is 100% happy. Or even 50% happy.
