Ian McKellen Insists He Will Keep Acting Until He’s Forced to Stop

At 86 years old, you’d think The Lord of the Rings and X-Men star Ian McKellen would want to put his feet up. But it sounds like he has no intention of retiring any time soon, insisting he will continue acting until he’s forced to stop.

McKellen, famous for playing Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and Magneto in the X-Men movies (and soon, also in Avengers: Doomsday), was injured in 2024 after falling off stage during a performance of Player Kings at the Noël Coward theatre in London. But since recovering, the veteran actor has bounced back into work, starring in The Christophers alongside Michaela Coel and James Corden, the upcoming Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol alongside Johnny Depp, and this December’s Avengers: Doomsday, alongside scores of Marvel superheroes.

And let’s not forget that McKellen will reprise his iconic role as Gandalf for next year’s Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum — and maybe even further The Lord of the Rings movies after that. In 2024, he said he didn’t like the idea of anyone else playing Gandalf, so it seems the role is his as long as he’s fit and able.

So, it’s a busy time for Sir Ian. And, speaking to Variety, it sounds like it will stay that way. “I like work so much,” he said. “I find it fulfilling and gratifying, and it gives me a lot back. It keeps me energetic. It gives me a reason to get up in the morning. Why would I stop doing it, really? If the legs give way and the mind gives way, then I’ll have to stop. But in the meantime, I’m loving it really.”

Apart from loving work, it seems McKellen is enjoying promoting his work, too — and he doesn’t seem to care about sticking to strict non-disclosure agreements either. He’s spoken openly about actors appearing in The Hunt for Gollum ahead of their official confirmation, and, in February, appeared to drop a huge Magneto-related Avengers: Doomsday spoiler, adding: “Oooh, I perhaps shouldn’t have said that…”

Will McKellen also appear in 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars? There’s a school of thought that says Magneto and the rest of the Fox-era X-Men will be killed off in Doomsday, potentially even early on in the film. If this is true, McKellen’s Magneto may not be long for this world.