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  "description": "Sir Ian McKellen has revealed that Star Wars actor Sir Alec Guinness once advised him to stay out of politics and avoid campaigning for gay rights, telling him it was “unseemly” for actors to get involved.\n\nThe veteran actor, 86, recalled being taken to lunch by Guinness at a key moment in his life, shortly after he publicly came out as gay and became involved in LGBTQ+ activism. \n\nSpeaking in a recent interview, McKellen said the Obi-Wan Kenobi star had invited him to an Italian restaurant in P",
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  "publishedAt": "2026-05-11T12:51:37.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.scenemag.co.uk",
  "textContent": "Sir**Ian McKellen** has revealed that _Star Wars_ actor Sir **Alec Guinness** once advised him to stay out of politics and avoid campaigning for gay rights, telling him it was “unseemly” for actors to get involved.\n\nThe veteran actor, 86, recalled being taken to lunch by Guinness at a key moment in his life, shortly after he publicly came out as gay and became involved in LGBTQ+ activism.\n\nSpeaking in a recent interview, McKellen said the **Obi-Wan Kenobi** star had invited him to an Italian restaurant in Pimlico before raising concerns about his work with **Stonewall** , the LGBTQ+ rights group he helped establish.\n\n“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,” McKellen said.\n\nThe _Lord of the Rings_ star, however, said he chose to ignore the advice, describing it as coming from “an older generation”.\n\nMcKellen came out publicly in 1988 during a BBC Radio interview and went on to become one of the founding members of Stonewall the following year, campaigning against Section 28, which banned the “promotion” of homosexuality in schools.\n\nReflecting on the exchange, he said he had recently been reminded of the encounter while watching a touring stage show about Guinness’s life, _Two Halves of Guinness_.\n\nGuinness, widely regarded as one of Britain’s greatest actors, died in 2000. McKellen noted that attitudes towards sexuality within the industry had shifted significantly since their conversation, with far greater openness among performers today.\n\nThe actor has long been an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and has frequently encouraged others in the public eye to come out, arguing that greater visibility helps drive social change.",
  "title": "Sir Ian McKellen says fellow actor urged him to stay quiet on gay rights",
  "updatedAt": "2026-05-11T12:51:37.735Z"
}