'Lord Of The Rings' Star Ian McKellen, 85, Cried Out To Staff After Falling Off Stage Mid-Performance: Report
Sir Ian McKellen recently got into an accident while performing on stage, according to a report.
McKellen, 85, plays John Falstaff in "Player Kings" at the Noël Coward Theatre in London. However, he fell off the front of the stage while performing a battle scene involving the Prince of Wales and Henry Percy on Monday. When the house lights came up, the actor cried out and staff rushed to help him, the BBC reported. He was immediately taken to the hospital.
"I really hope that he is going to be alright," Sandro Trapani told BBC. "As far as I saw, he was conscious because he was asking for assistance."
The audience member added that the incident was "very shocking."
Paul Nero, a writer and broadcaster, also spoke about the incident on X, formerly Twitter, and shared the same sentiment.
"Audience shocked by Sir Ian McKellen's fall off stage tonight at Noel Coward Theatre. Staff working hard to help him. Thoughts with him, cast and crew. #playerkings," he wrote.
The post received several reactions, some from those who were also presumably around when the incident happened.
"Shocking to watch, it was a terrible fall. Hoping he is not badly injured, he seemed to be in great pain," one commented.
Another added, "It was a really bad fall. I hope that he is OK."
"Wasn't sure if it was part of the play. He sounded in a bad way. Hope he's ok," a third person said.
It was a really bad fall. I hope that he is OK.
— Paul 💙 (@critchyboy) June 17, 2024
"Player Kings" is a production of Shakespeare's "Henry IV, Parts One and Two." It started its 12-week West End run in April. McKellen's previous "Shakespeare" credits include roles as Richard II, Coriolanus, Iago, Richard III, King Lear and Macbeth. He is set to star as Hamlet in Sean Mathias' new film adaptation.
McKellen is famous for playing Gandalf in "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" trilogies, and Magneto in the "X-Men" franchise. His on-screen credits include "Beauty and the Beast," "The Da Vinci Code" and "Mr. Holmes." He also appeared in 10 episodes of the ITV soap "Coronation Street" as the romance author Mel Hutchwright.
Earlier this month, he admitted that he was open to reprising his role as Gandalf. However, there was reportedly no script yet.
"If I'm alive," he told The Times of London. "But there is no script, there is no offer, there is no plan."
