Sir Ian McKellen appeared to shake off his recent stage injuries as he enjoyed a night of partying at a famous gay nightclub this weekend.
The 85-year-old took time off the dance floor to pose with two topless hunks as he joined revelers at Roast, an all-male club night in North London.
While most partygoers wore very little clothing, the Lord of The Rings actor showed off his slim figure in a vintage red floral shirt.
An attendee at the party, which was held on Saturday evening, told Ny Breaking: ‘Everyone was stunned when they saw him on the dance floor.
‘Sir Ian had so much fun soaking up the festive atmosphere. He looked like he didn’t have a care in the world.
“You would never have guessed that just a few months ago he was in the hospital.
Sir Ian McKellen appeared to brush off his recent stage injuries as he enjoyed a night of partying at a famous gay nightclub this weekend
‘He had many people come to him to send their well wishes. One attendee was clearly a fan of his work in the Lord of the Rings films as he hailed the star as ‘Gandalf the Gay.’
The joke, which is said to have been taken in good humor, is a reference to the character of Sir Ian in the Tolkein adaptations.
A photo of the actor at the location was reposted on the Roast club’s Instagram page, with one Lord of the Rings fan writing: “Gandalf swears at every fight but shows up for Roast.”
Tickets for the fortnightly event cost £23, with fun-seekers partying until 6am.
It describes itself as ‘London’s most powerful club night’ and features ten DJs across five floors and ‘one big dark room’.
A darkroom is a space where people can engage in discreet, intimate activities in a private environment with dim lighting.
There is no evidence that Sir Ian visited that part of the club.
The Electrowerkz venue, where the event is taking place, is just a 30-minute taxi ride from the Shakespearean actor’s riverside apartment in Limehouse, East London.
The Electrowerkz venue (pictured), where the event is taking place, is just a 30-minute taxi ride from the Shakespearean actor’s riverside apartment in Limehouse, east London
Sir Ian’s stage and screen career spans more than 60 years, but he caused concern when he fell from the stage of the Noel Coward theater in June.
Sir Ian’s stage and screen career spans more than 60 years, but he sparked concern when he fell from the stage of the Noel Coward theater in June.
The actor, who played Sir John Falstaff in Shakespeare’s Henry IV, was hospitalized and suffered a chipped vertebra and broken wrist, forcing him to withdraw from the remainder of the run.
He later said he felt ’embarrassed’ and ’emotional’ at having let the West End audience down, saying it had made him ‘aware that there wasn’t much time left’.
Sir Ian came out as gay in 1988 at the age of 49 and has admitted it was a life-changing moment for him.
He told Variety: “Almost overnight, everything in my life changed for the better: my relationships with people and my whole attitude towards acting changed.”
Ian admits that coming out had a huge impact on his acting.
Sir Ian came out as gay in 1988 at the age of 49 and has admitted it was a life-changing moment for him (pictured in September 2024)
The star explained: ‘The kind of acting I was good at was all about disguise – adopting funny voices and strange walks.
‘It was about lying to the world. I was no longer in the situation where I was running next to the character and explaining it to the audience. I just became the character.”
Ian also said he felt like it was hard for non-gay people to relate to his struggle.
The veteran actor said, “People who aren’t gay just don’t know how much harm it does to you when you lie about what you are and you’re ashamed of yourself.
‘I grew up at a time when it was illegal for me to have sex with a man. And that wasn’t that long ago,” he added.