The Ian McKellen you haven’t seen before

IAN McKellen easily admits that he plays a version of himself most of time in public. So now he’s baring all.

CELEBRITY documentaries are hard to get right.

Their subjects have spent their whole lives in the spotlight, having done countless interviews, talk shows and profiles pieces, it feels like there’s little left of them to give.

But what do we really know of them, these charismatic creatures well versed in the art of persuasion, who know how to turn it for the camera and only come out when there’s a project to promote, tickets to sell?

Maybe that’s why McKellen: Playing the Part starts with the famed thespian declaring that life is just a performance, that he’s always viewed interviews and red carpet appearances as “a bit of acting — what side of Ian McKellen am I going to present?”

So what side of Ian McKellen do we get here?

He’s certainly charming, a little bit playful and a tad introspective.

Sitting down in a red armchair, seemingly relaxed, the star of Lord of the Rings, Richard III and X-Men is clearly reliving his own life in the moment, as the cameras roll.

Without anything specific to promote, except maybe his legacy, he can be more open than he would be on Graham Norton’s couch.

Introspection, thy name is Ian McKellen

It’s a wonderfully engaging documentary that pays tribute to a towering figure, one whose work has expanded across decades and continents.

From his days as a kid, of feeling more at home on the stage than on the football field, to being feted by Hollywood in the biggest blockbusters, McKellen takes us through his career, one marked by passion, a commitment to craft and a love of storytelling.

It’s clear, from what director Joe A. Stephenson is able to elicit from his subject, that McKellen has had an extraordinary life — told through his own voice but also from archival footage of stage (playing Macbeth in 1978 opposite Judi Dench) and screen, family photos, behind-the-scenes videos and re-enactments.

But for all the time spent on his work — and he is someone who has given everything to his work — the most intriguing and revealing moments come when he opens up about his life as himself.

Ian McKellan and Judi Dench in a 1978 film version of the Royal Shakespeare Company's Macbeth.

He talks about the experience of seeing Ivor Novello as a child which gave him an erection, about his activism for gay rights, and coming out at the age of 49 to campaign against the Thatcher-era Section 28 law that forbade the teaching of homosexuality as accepted practice in schools.

He talks about how he never saw his sexuality as a problem, only as a fact, of being drawn to acting as a way to deal with the emotions he couldn’t deal with in real life.

He talks about what preoccupies his thoughts every day, now, as someone in his twilight years: Death. He’s even organised his own funeral. But he’s not done yet.

McKellen: Playing the Part deftly makes you feel like you’re there, in the presence of a legend, and a legendary storyteller, as if you’re part of the story he’s telling as you remember your own experiences with his work.

It’s a must-see for any fan, and, be honest, is there anyone who’s not an Ian McKellen fan?

Rating: 3.5/5

Ian McKellen: Playing the Part is in cinemas from Thursday, September 26.

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With bestie Patrick Stewart after a production of Waiting for Godot