Sir Ian McKellen is best known for being part of the Lord Of The Rings and X-Men franchises. The acclaimed actor remains one of the most beloved wizards in the film industry playing Gandalf the Grey. However, in an interview with BBC, The Good Liar actor revealed that he was offered the chance to play another famous wizard.
McKellen has earned quite a fan following and is regarded as the perfect actor to play J.R.R. Tolkien’s famous character. Despite the fame he has received being a wizard, the X-Men star wasn’t keen on donning the role of another very famous wizard.
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Why Sir Ian McKellen Refused A $9.5 Billion Franchise
Over the years, many actors have played wizards in numerous movies. However, among the plethora of many wizards, two remain the most beloved by fans. One being Sir Ian Richard‘s Gandalf the Grey in the Lord of the Rings franchise and the other being Albus Dumbledore in the $9.5 billion Harry Potter franchise. Richard Harris played the great wizard Dumbledore in the first two films of the Harry Potter franchise.
Harris did an amazing job portraying the wizard and even set the tone for Dumbledore’s unique personality. After the British actor tragically passed away in 2002, the makers of the hit franchise were in a dilemma as to who could potentially replace and carry on the role of Dumbledore as well as Harris did. And Michael Gambon, who was just as magnificent as Harris had been.
However, after Richard Harris’ death, the role was first offered to Sir Ian McKellen, who declined the role saying,
“I had enough trouble living up to one legend. Two would be too much to hope for.”
Well, even though we didn’t get McKellen as Dumbledore, fans have a hard time differentiating between McKellen’s Gandalf and Gambon’s Dumbledore. Even the actor confuses Gambon as himself by seeing the film’s posters.
Sir Ian McKellen Declined To Play Dumbledore Because Of Richard Harris
In an interview with BBC, McKellen spoke up about Harris’ dislike for him and his acting style. Richard Harris once even called the X-Men star’s work ‘technically brilliant, but passionless’. Harris’ dislike of McKellen and his acting style played a crucial role in McKellen’s decision to reject the role of Dumbledore in the subsequent parts of the Harry Potter franchise.
“When he died, he played Dumbledore, the wizard. I played the real wizard. When they called me up and said would I be interested in being in the Harry Potter films, they wouldn’t say what part, I worked out what they were thinking. And I couldn’t. I couldn’t take over the part from an actor who I’d known didn’t approve of me.”
Although he declined the role, McKellen remained respectful of the late actor and showcased extreme professionalism by not taking on the role of Dumbledore.
You can stream the Harry Potter franchise on Amazon Prime Video.
Source: IMDB
