‘A man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love’ – Ian McKellen’s tribute to Stewartpublished at 01:03 GMT
01:03 GMT
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption,
Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart at a film premier in 2020
Sir Ian McKellen, one of Britain’s greatest actors, has shared a tribute to Patrick Stewart on social media.
He recalls his “first strong memory” of Stewart as the moment he told him he was considering taking a role in the Star Trek series. McKellen advised against it, warning him to “think of his stage career”.
“Well, he took the risk, and thank goodness for us all that he did…” McKellen later starred alongside Stewart in the X-Men series. The pair also appeared together in a 2009 theatre production of Waiting for Godot.
The two actors were close friends. Stewart played Professor X, while McKellen portrayed Magneto in the X-Men films, but the pair had known each other since before Stewart’s television breakthrough in Star Trek.
McKellen said Stewart “never forsook his origins: and the proudest achievement of the most respected and beloved actor of his generation on either side of the Atlantic, was his appointment as Chancellor of Huddersfield University in Yorkshire”.
Stewart “told you what he thought and felt,” McKellen wrote. “He wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and, in my case, love.”
The two frequently expressed their affection for each other during red carpet interviews. McKellen also officiated Stewart’s wedding in 2013.