Word: mckellen
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...Hollywood, then, McKellen is a new face in an energetic, middle-age frame. He is frequently referred to (on his own website, www.mckellen.com for instance) as "the leading British actor of his generation." The implied qualifier is stage actor; he wants to change that. "I've done a big wadge of theater," he says, "which has been very satisfying. Now I'd like to do a wadge of movies. I do think my acting in these films is good enough so people will no longer say, 'Well, we can risk giving a role to McKellen...
...Pupil he is, in director Bryan Singer's phrase, "an old, alcoholic, sitcom-watching Nazi" hiding in California anonymity 40 years after the war and amused to perform a facsimile of his old mischief on a curious teenager (Brad Renfro). As Whale in Bill Condon's film, McKellen is sunset charm incarnate, a gay man melting inside his decaying body for the gross, cheerful fellow (Brendan Fraser) who works in the garden. It's Chekhov in lavender...
...films--which can be seen as metaphors of an aging man seeking a last acolyte, either as lover or victim--are extended conversations between experience and ingenuity. McKellen does most of the talking, in a gentle English accent or a brusque German one, but what makes him a great shot for film eminence is how suavely he listens. Listens with his eyes, attentive to nuances of lust or fear that may not even be there. Reacts with a prim wryness that hints at the Nazi's superiority, at Whale's indulgence. These lovely scenes give the audience a chance...
...worked hard to ensure that his titled status would not cow his colleagues. "I mean, hell, going to work with a damn knight!" says Renfro, 16. "I didn't know what to expect. But he's a genuine guy, easygoing, totally cool." Fraser, 29, who calls McKellen "the best-kept secret in the film world," was surprised at Sir Ian's bounding vim. "He eats everything he wants and has the energy of a 20-year-old." McKellen was robust enough to endure eight hours as a corpse in a pool, wearing a rubber wetsuit under a heavy tweed outfit...
...McKellen is alive and available in Hollywood--and, did we mention, as vigorous as a colt? "When you quote me in this story," he says with a conspiratorial smile, "perhaps you could use the phrase 'says a youthful-looking McKellen...