Sir Ian McKellen Says Alec Guinness Pleaded With Him To Quit Gay Rights Activism

If anyone’s ever wondered who the bigger queer icon was between Gandalf/Magneto and Obi-Wan Kenobi, well, that question’s been pretty firmly settled this week. In a new interview with Sir Ian McKellen, the legendary actor revealed that fellow screen icon Sir Alec Guinness once urged him to stop participating in gay rights activism during the 1970s.

McKellen shared the story while answering a fan question in a reader Q&A story from The Guardian, about the “worst piece of advice” he had ever received.

The actor recalled that after a 1979 performance of Bent — the groundbreaking play about the persecution of gay men in Nazi Germany — Guinness visited him backstage.

“Alec Guinness sat rather primly in my dressing room, enthusing about the play before inviting me out to supper,” McKellen said.

While McKellen initially declined the invitation, the pair later met for lunch years afterward, where Guinness raised concerns about McKellen’s activism work.

“He had heard about my work to establish Stonewall – a lobby group to present to the government and the world at large the case for treating UK lesbians and gays equally under the law with the rest of the population,” McKellen wrote.

“He thought it somewhat unseemly for an actor to dabble in public or political affairs and advised me, sort of pleaded with me, to withdraw.”

“Advice from an older generation, which I didn’t follow.”

The comments have sparked conversation online not only because of Guinness’ status as one of Britain’s most beloved actors, but also because of the longstanding speculation and discussion surrounding his own sexuality.

Guinness, best known globally for portraying Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars, was married to actress Merula Salaman for decades, but biographers and historians have previously discussed his relationships with men and what has often been described as bisexuality.

McKellen himself referenced that history in the interview, noting he had recently watched Two Halves of Guinness, a stage production that “hints at Sir Alec’s latent bisexuality in a way that would have upset him, I suppose”.

For many LGBTQIA+ people, McKellen’s refusal to step away from activism has become one of the defining aspects of his legacy.

The actor publicly came out as gay in 1988 while opposing Section 28 — the notorious UK law banning the “promotion” of homosexuality — and has spent decades campaigning for LGBTQIA+ equality alongside his acting career.

He later co-founded Stonewall, which went on to become one of the United Kingdom’s most influential LGBTQIA+ advocacy organisations.

And judging by this latest story, we’re very thankful he ignored that lunch advice! Be mindful of your thoughts, Obi-Wan, they betray you.