Lord of the Rings star rails against Hollywood closet

By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk • April 3, 2007 - 15:33

The star of The Lord of the Rings and The Da Vinci Code has been openly gay since 1988.

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Sir Ian McKellen has slammed Hollywood producers for encouraging gay actors and actresses to hide their sexuality.

The famous actor and gay rights campaigner has in the past criticised actors for not coming out.

Now, it seems he blames the producers.

"With all that liberal attitude (in Hollywood), you have a local industry which is saying to local people who live in the area, 'When you come to work, you are not gay.'" Sir Ian told FemaleFirst.co.uk,

"And I think to myself, 'Can people whose minds work like that make good films? And if at the heart of Hollywood there is that lie, how many other lies are there?'

"And it's the producers who have this problem - God knows what sort of people they are - who think that it's impossible for you and me to fancy the same person.

"Well, what dull lives they must have."

The star of The Lord of the Rings and The Da Vinci Code has been openly gay since 1988.

Although fellow actors knew his sexuality before then, he came out to the general public in an interview with BBC Radio 3.

Sir Ian said felt he had to come out in order to lend his weight to the campaign against Section 28, an amendment to law which stated that homosexuality could not be "promoted" in schools.

A co-founder of the gay rights lobby Stonewall, he continued to campaign against Section 28 until it was repealed in 2003. He was knighted in 1991 for services to acting and the theatre.

This year, Sir Ian spoke at the pre-launch of LGBT History Month.

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