Ian mckellen reads how to change a tire

Helen MirrenIan McKellen

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Spencer is the Editor for Bounding Into Comics. A life-long anime fan, comic book reader, and video game player, Spencer believes in supporting every claim with evidence and that Ben Reilly is the best version of Spider-Man. He can be found on Twitter @kabutoridermav.

Ian McKellen on the set of The Lord of the Rings - Movies and series on DTF

The main thing from the diary of the actor who played Gandalf in the cult trilogy: funny incidents on the set, preparation for the role and too long beard.

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More recently, actor Sir Ian McKellen, known for his roles as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and Magneto in X-Men, posted a link to his web diary, which he kept during the filming of Peter Jackson's trilogy. nine0003

The web diary is divided into two parts - "The Gray Book" and "The White Book" (according to the two states of its hero, Gandalf the Gray and Gandalf the White). And in it, McKellen offers a unique inside look at the process of making one of the greatest—maybe just the greatest—trilogies in cinematic history.

Starting with personal experiences and ending with curious details about the most complex scenery and impressions of the first viewers who saw The Lord of the Rings on the big screen.

nine0002 About his casting as Gandalf

The beginning of the Gray Book is entirely devoted to the pre-production period - when McKellen had just been chosen for the role, and he was trying to coordinate the shooting of The Lord of the Rings and the first X-Men. In the end, of course, everything turned out well: directors Peter Jackson and Bryan Singer managed to agree.

Sir Ian McKellen was very worried about the responsibility that fell on him along with the role of Gandalf. According to him, he never had to play a wizard, and in order to understand the special mindset of such a person, he even communicated with a real witch. nine0003

I have yet to understand the nature of Gandalf's energy. What drives them? What drives us all?

Sir Ian McKellen, actor

In addition, he perfectly understood the feelings of all fans of the original Tolkien novel - after all, he himself was one of them. It would be inexcusable for McKellen to dishonor the property of a beloved writer, all the more so important to Western culture.

Of course, by the time of filming The Lord of the Rings, he had already played quite significant roles, including Shakespeare's, but most of them were in the theater. nine0003

McKellen laments the difference between acting on stage, where every night an actor can "try something different" and change some of the nuances of his performance, and acting in a movie, where millions of viewers around the world will see the same take.

As with Richard III or Magneto, I need to find Gandalf within me. And this process depends entirely on my ability to absorb the words of the script, listen to the director's reactions and react to the performance of other actors. So far, three months before filming starts, Gandalf doesn't exist yet, not even in my head. It will only come to life when the camera turns on, and the desired opening is made at the same moment. nine0003

Sir Ian McKellen, actor

About the creation of the appearance of Gandalf

When Ian McKellen finally got to New Zealand, where they filmed all the parts of The Lord of the Rings at the same time, he was immediately sent to make-up and costume designers. They had a difficult task: to transfer the canonical image of Gandalf from the book so that it looked logical within the framework of the cinematic adaptation.

Illustration from an old edition of The Hobbit

A separate problem was that the illustrations from the main editions of The Lord of the Rings presented the characters in a simplified way. There was no way they could be adapted for a live-action film.

Even Tolkien's text itself did not give the filmmakers all the necessary details. And some of his descriptions didn't fit for purely practical reasons.

"Long white beard". But how long is it? How "long" is his cape? And how practical, given the New Zealand winds, are “bushy eyebrows peeking out from under a hat”? nine0003

Sir Ian McKellen, actor

After the first tests, it turned out that Gandalf's beard turned out to be too long and cumbersome for a character who must constantly run, ride a horse and engage in other vigorous activities.

Besides, it turned out to be just a caricature.

I didn't want a beard that takes on a life of its own with every blow of the wind. Looking at me from the mirror was a creature from somewhere on another planet - or Shylock (a character from Shakespeare's play "The Merchant of Venice" - DTF) , or Ben Gunn. Or Rasputin.

Sir Ian McKellen, actor

When the beard was shortened, and the image itself began to resemble what we eventually saw in the films - a pointed bluish hat, a long cloak - Ian McKellen suddenly remembered that in the books Gandalf has another constant attribute.

A silver scarf that make-up and costume designers seem to have completely forgotten about. nine0003

Somehow it was overlooked or decided to be removed. Until I looked into the book, I myself did not notice this omission. And it is clear why - why, one wonders, does a person with an umbrella instead of a hat and a warm raincoat also need a scarf? The book starts in the fall. And we shoot like this in the summer.

Sir Ian McKellen, actor

True, in one scene it can still be seen - a magic scarf is tied around the wagon on which Gandalf arrived in Hobbiton. nine0003

In the Hobbit trilogy, by the way, the scarf returned to its original place

Toward the end of this part of the Gray Book, Sir Ian McKellen talks about a big party at producer Barry Osborne's house where the crew showed the first bits of action scenes. So far without computer graphics and music by Howard Shore.

They've been filming without me for three months now, and I feel like I'm new to school. The semester kicked off with a preview of several action scenes - as yet without effects. nine0022

<...>
The music was from other films. The audience began to applaud their own hard work, as if they were watching a movie made for friends. Until suddenly there is silence in the scene where Boromir dies and the hobbits lose Gandalf to the Balrog.
<...>
By the end of the evening, Billy Boyd (he plays Pippin) made me follow him and climb down the fire pole together twenty feet down. And I wasn't even drunk.

Sir Ian McKellen, actor

About locations

An impressive part of the "Grey Book" is dedicated to Sir Ian McKellen's impressions of the most beautiful landscapes of New Zealand - and specifically, its South Island, which is full of places untouched by civilization. And also from those incredibly detailed sets that Jackson and his team built around the country.

Moreover, they often painstakingly arranged the locations long before the shooting itself - the director wanted each place to feel really alive and real. nine0003

So, Hobbiton - the most certainly the most comfortable place of all where the characters have been in three films - began to prepare as much as a year before the actors and the entire film crew arrived in New Zealand.

They designed Hobbiton and built it a year ago. Only so that grass and flowers can grow on it.

Sir Ian McKellen, actor

After the end of filming in Hobbiton, the film crew could not decide for a long time whether they wanted to demolish all this built splendor with gardens, trees and hobbit burrows, from the stoves of which smoke constantly poured (in fact, a special steam generator was installed inside each hole). nine0003

In the end, the farmer who lent the crew this piece of land asked Peter Jackson not to deconstruct Hobbiton. Even then, he realized that this place would soon begin to attract tourists like a magnet. And I wasn't wrong.

However, some sections of Hobbiton built in other locations still had to be demolished.

It is possible that archaeologists will find their charred remains with great surprise somewhere in the next century.

Sir Ian McKellen, actor

This craving for authenticity by Jackson, by the way, was not always convenient for the actors.

On the one hand, of course, it is much easier to play in detailed scenery than on a green screen. But there were also some pitfalls.

For example, all fireplaces were real. Naturally, they strongly heated the room, which was already very warm due to the large number of camera lighting installations.

Fireplace means fire, and the fire in this case should look so impressive that you want to throw a ring into it. Real fire means warmth. So we - twenty or more tired people - crawled through the reduced scenery while Kieran (meaning Kiran Shah, midget actor - DTF) laughed at us.

However, as soon as the camera was turned on, I forgot about any discomfort.

Sir Ian McKellen, actor

McKellen also writes a bit about the bizarre structures the film crew built to make actors of the same height look like characters with significant size differences. As, for example, it was in the scene of the meeting of Gandalf and Bilbo.

Most often, this was solved with the help of two different sets - one normal and one reduced, against which the human characters looked larger. In this case, the actors were replaced by understudies: the hobbits were dwarf artists, and Ian McKellen, on the contrary, was a very tall actor. nine0003

But sometimes, when the characters had to exist simultaneously in the same frame - as, for example, in the scene of the ride of Gandalf and Frodo on the wagon - the filmmakers built special structures. They allowed the use of the effect of "forced perspective" - ​​when the characters placed closer to the camera look larger than those who are farther from it.

However, Sir Ian McKellen does not go into details here. These constructions, he says, are "too complicated for me to understand."

Sir Ian pays special attention to Rivendell. The city of elves, built inside the studio almost in full size, impressed the actor very much.

When I first entered Rivendell, my breath caught. It was as if I was inside a huge, three-dimensional painting by Alan Lee (illustrator and designer of The Lord of the Rings - DTF)

Sir Ian McKellen, actor

Sir Ian recalls how on the first day of filming in one of these places they were collected by a rescue officer and said bluntly that anyone who went beyond the perimeter of the outlined area risked losing a limb or life. After all, this place used to be a military training ground, and there are still many unexploded warheads there. nine0003

Other locations, however, on the contrary, were too close to this very civilization.

So, one of the studios where the film was shot was located in close proximity to Wellington Airport.

Ideal when shooting does not have to be interrupted by every plane taking off. But I've known worse. When we filmed Gods and Monsters near Pasadena, it was incredibly noisy. Under the blinding sun, my hero had to seduce his guest to the accompaniment of whirring helicopters, propellers and international planes. nine0003

Sir Ian McKellen, actor

About other actors

In his diaries, Sir Ian McKellen speaks very warmly about his colleagues - Viggo Mortensen, for example, he calls "incredibly modest" and every time he is happy when he has to go to the next premiere with other actors from the trilogy.

But he especially admires Christopher Lee, already then a living legend of cinema, who began filming back in the late 40s.

He looked like King Lear, mature and authoritative. 78 years old, but still handsome and strong. When he speaks, all I see is Saruman, an old ally of mine who has taken a wrong turn. Except for one moment, when he ended his speech, at the request of Peter Jackson, with a vicious growl. Being within a meter of a snarling Christopher Lee is not the most pleasant feeling. Good thing he didn't put on his vampire claws.

Sir Ian McKellen, actor

McKellen also writes a lot about his namesake, Sir Ian Holm, who played Bilbo Baggins. The actor recalls that Holm, in a manner completely uncharacteristic of film actors (but very understandable to theatergoers) played differently in all takes. Each time finding new facets of his character. nine0003

Sir Ian McKellen also recalls an interesting case involving both Christopher Lee and Ian Holm.

When the film crew traveled together to the Cannes Film Festival to show the first finished clips from the upcoming film, they naturally got a lot of interviews. All the actors were divided into groups of three, so that they would answer questions from journalists together.

McKellen ended up in the same group as Lee and Holm.

Christopher Lee and Ian McKellen

Two Ians almost immediately felt very uncomfortable next to Christopher Lee - he communicated with journalists in five different languages ​​and was inimitably gallant. His colleagues, in the main, answered the same phrases to repeated questions from the press.

Until one moment Holm decided to prove that he was capable of something.

Toward evening, without any warning, Ian Holm, in response to a question, began a long speech that he had never given before. The more I listened to him, the more I wanted to laugh. At first I just smiled and bit my lip so as not to start laughing, but then fatigue took its toll - I laughed out loud. He kept talking and I laughed. Then I got up and, not finding another way out, just ran away. nine0022

Later, Christopher Lee told me that he feared for my sanity at the time. Did the right thing.

Sir Ian McKellen, actor

About filming with CGI

Sir Ian McKellen, being first and foremost a theater actor, writes with obvious admiration of the technological advances that vfx studio WETA has brought to the film. And this despite the fact that he had already encountered CGI as such, playing Magneto in X-Men. nine0003

I've already seen some of the fantastic creatures that will be in the movie. Some, like orcs and goblins, are played by actors and stuntmen, while others, like Balrog, are created on WETA computers. Gandalf hasn't met Gollum or Sméagol yet, so I don't know what Peter Jackson and Andy Serkis have in store for us there.

Sir Ian McKellen, actor

Sir Ian writes about some of the scenes shot using CGI with obvious irony - so, he recalls the scene where he had to close-up someone with a chroma key. But McKellen did not understand exactly who. nine0003

But he especially remembered the tennis ball, which first represented the Balrog, then Saruman, and then the heroes at the gates of Mordor.

We made our way through an artificial lake to meet Saruman. But Saruman himself, that is, Christopher Lee, played at that time in the second episode of Star Wars on the other side of the Tasmanian Sea. So we yelled at a yellow tennis ball representing a magician gone mad.

Sir Ian McKellen, actor

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Today I was at the gates of Mordor, where the Voice of Sauron threw before us Frodo's mithril mail. Gandalf must have been desperate, while Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and Pippin I see only as marks with a marker at eye level, an apple or a yellow tennis ball on a stick. I wonder if this ball is not the one that has already participated in the battle with the Balrog?

Sir Ian McKellen, actor

Meeting with Edmund Hillary

During the filming of the film, Sir Ian also got to meet the great Edmund Hillary, one of the two people who first climbed Mount Everest.

Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, the first climbers of Everest

McKellen fondly recalls all the crazy stories that the climber told him while sitting in his comfortable home.

Sir Ed is a star. Eighty years old and still very much alive. He told me many stories: about Everest, of course, about driving tractors to the South Pole, about hunting Yeti and searching for the source of the Ganges River. nine0003

Sir Ian McKellen, actor

About the first screenings of the film

Sir Ian McKellen writes extensively about screenings of the film at different stages of its development. According to his impressions, it is very interesting to track how the film crew, who did not see the full results of their work at that time, perceived the film.

I sat behind Peter Jackson hunched over in front of a monitor showing a clip of Sam and Frodo in a boat. The magnificent Fellowship Theme started playing, the flute and drums captivated my ears, and I saw and heard the first moments of the finished film. Trust me, it's great. nine0003

Sir Ian McKellen, actor

All the actors were present at that same Cannes screening - it was the first time they had seen sufficiently large excerpts of the film with superimposed special effects and Howard Shore's soundtrack.

The opening shot was the meeting of Gandalf and Bilbo, the first scene filmed with Sir Ian. At that time, 16 months had already passed since the shooting of this scene.

How big Gandalf seemed and how he sagged under the low ceiling! I don't remember what kind of cinematic magic it was, but how he calmly handed Bilbo his hat and staff. How small Bilbo seemed as he walked down the corridor! You know, when you read a book, you don't really think about this difference in size, but on the screen you can't get around it. nine0022

Sir Ian McKellen, actor

Next, Sir Ian admires the image of the Balrog and the mines of Moria. The excerpt being shown, he said, ended with the legendary "You won't get through!"

We shamelessly applauded ourselves. The actors playing the hobbits started screaming. Elijah [Wood] asked me to turn it on again.

Sir Ian McKellen, actor

A few months later, The Fellowship of the Ring premiered in London. McKellen describes how, as a child, he often imagined that the BBC was interviewing him before performing in a school play. nine0003

Now, at the huge premiere of a multi-million dollar film, he suddenly felt like that child again.

Somewhere in the middle of the long walk from the bus to the dressing room, I fantasized that our play was important enough to be invited to the BBC to talk about it. Pretending that I was a famous actor, I muttered modest answers to non-existent questions, frightening passers-by who probably thought I was a little crazy. Fifty years later, these memories somehow came back to me. nine0003

Sir Ian McKellen, actor

McKellen writes that he really hopes people will like the film. And he notices with uncertainty that the first journalists seem to praise him.

However, the opinion of journalists doesn't worry him that much.

Tolkien's 11-year-old son said he enjoyed the film very much. And then he asked for my autograph. It was the best moment in the whole premiere.

Sir Ian McKellen, actor

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About the intercom with the hero

Due to the long and difficult filming process, it turned out that Ian McKellen literally lived with Gandalf much longer than the actors usually have to do.

All three films were filmed simultaneously for a year and a half, but even after principal photography ended, McKellen had to periodically return for additional scenes or dubbing.

On the set of X-Men 2, he recalls having to do some emergency voiceovers for Gandalf. He was helped by the sound engineer of X-Men - together with the team they organized a workspace for Sir Ian so that he could record the necessary phrases. nine0003

Imagine Gandalf working on an Apple computer with Cerebro on his head.

Sir Ian McKellen, actor

Sir Ian writes a lot about his last day of filming The Lord of the Rings. Then the film crew organized a party in his honor - as they did with all the actors leaving the set.

A dedication to Gandalf was shown on a white sheet, a cut of the best moments from the shooting - and the worst ones too. Me when I forget my lines. Me when I swear. Me, looking like an idiot, trying on Gandalf's costume for the first time. nine0022 You know, I got emotional.

Sir Ian McKellen, actor

Also, producer Barry Osborne gave Sir Ian Gandalf's sword, the one he carries with him in the film.

True, McKellen managed to forget him because of his great haste.

Already after the premiere, Sir Ian McKellen was well aware that the role of Gandalf would become a landmark in his cinematic career. But he was not at all afraid that he would become a "hostage of one role." Even though the people who took his autograph often asked him to sign as "Gandalf". nine0003

In such cases, I explain that Gandalf does not give autographs. If a person continues to insist, we have to say that Gandalf is not with us now. Once I even blurted out that Gandalf does not exist. Although this, of course, is not the case.

Sir Ian McKellen, actor

He also recalls with humor how parents would bring their children to him and point to him with the words "Look, it's Gandalf." The children, it seems, did not really believe - after all, in life McKellen does not have a thick long beard, and he does not wear a pointed hat. nine0003

I think they felt like I did when I was three years old and put on Santa's knee at the local store. I saw that he has a cotton beard that doesn't even fit him. It wasn't the real Santa Claus. The real Santa Claus was somewhere else preparing my present.

So the real Gandalf is elsewhere. And children, I think, know about it.

Sir Ian McKellen, actor

It took a long time for Sir Ian to fully part with the hero - or maybe he never succeeded. In the end, he recalls how, while working with his friend on one of the BBC radio shows, he played Prospero from William Shakespeare's play The Tempest. nine0003

He was giving remarks to the actors and suddenly called me a "magician". I flared up and almost said to him, they say, "I am Prospero, not Gandalf!" And only then I realized that Prospero, in fact, is also a magician.

Sir Ian McKellen, actor

Actor Ian McKellen, who played Gandalf, got vaccinated against coronavirus - December 17, 2020

Society , got vaccinated against the coronavirus.

nine0003

McKellen, 81, was vaccinated by Pfizer in London. He shared the news on Twitter, writing: “I am very lucky to have been vaccinated. I would recommend her without hesitation."

I feel very lucky to have had the vaccine. I would have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone. https://t.co/gBLRR0OeJc

— Ian McKellen (@IanMcKellen) December 17, 2020

The actor thanked the UK National Health Service. He also said that he will continue to wear a mask and keep his distance and may now even think about returning to work. nine0003

"I feel very special, it's a very happy day, I'm a little euphoric," McKellen told reporters.

'I really hope that, as more people get vaccinated, we will move further along the path back to a more normal way of life.'
⁰Sir @IanMcKellen joins the thousands of people who have now safely received the first dose of the #CovidVaccine. https://t.co/1e3nCAUFcB pic. twitter.com/FFW6jrKqEg

— NHS England and NHS Improvement (@NHSEngland) December 16, 2020

"I really hope that as more people get the vaccine, we will continue to move towards a more normal lifestyle," the NHS quoted him as saying.

The vaccine, developed by the American company Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech, was found to be safe and effective by about 95% in clinical trials involving 44,000 people. However, cases of allergy to the vaccine are known.

Sir Ian Murray McKellen; b. 25 May 1939, Burnley, Lancashire, England, UK) is a British actor, winner of the Golden Globe and Tony awards, as well as six Laurence Olivier awards. Oscar and Emmy nominee. McKellen was widely recognized as a master of the Shakespearean repertoire, after which he gained worldwide fame thanks to his participation in big-budget international film projects (Magneto in the X-Men film series, Gandalf in the film trilogies The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit).

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