28 May,2018 11:36 PM IST | London | PTI
Ian McKellen
Veteran actor Ian McKellen has attacked Hollywood's timidity in depicting minorities on screen. The 78-year-old actor, famous for his roles in Lord of the Rings series and the X-Men franchise, is openly gay and has been an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ rights.
In an interview with Time Out, McKellen was asked about the controversy surrounding the decision not to show the young Dumbledore as "explicitly gay" in the upcoming Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them sequel.
"Well, nobody looks to Hollywood for social commentary, do they? They only recently discovered that there were black people in the world. Hollywood has mistreated women in every possible way throughout its history. Gay men don't exist," McKellen replied.
ALSO READ
Jennifer Lopez REACTS to ex-husband Ben Affleck calling her 'spectacular'
Hollywood celebs express dismay over Donald Trump’s appointment as US President
Indian-origin woman buys Matthew Perry's LA home for Rs 72 cr
Hollywood celebs react with dismay to Donald Trump's win in US elections
One Direction members to pay musical tribute to Liam Payne? Here's what we know
The actor credited 1998 film Gods and Monsters, in which he starred as director James Whale, as being the "beginning of Hollywood admitting that there were gay people knocking around, even though half of Hollywood is gay."
McKellen, who revealed his sexuality publicly in a BBC Radio interview 30 years ago, recalled he was once denied a role because he was a homosexual.
Recounting a story of when he auditioned for Harold Pinter's 1983 film Betrayal, McKellen said producer Sam Speigel asked him if he would be taking his family with him on a trip to New York.
"I said, 'I don't have a family, I'm gay'. I think it was the first time I came out to anyone. Well, I was out of that office in two minutes. It took Pinter 25 years to apologise for not sticking up for me," the actor said.
Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Except for the change in headline, the story has been provided "AS-IS," "AS AVAILABLE, without any verification or editing from our side. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
