Ian McKellen said Alec Guinness once urged him to withdraw support from Stonewall and stay out of public and political affairs, in comments he recently made to The Guardian. [1, 2]
McKellen said Guinness invited him to lunch and raised the subject later in the meal. He said Guinness had heard about his work to help establish Stonewall, which he described as a lobby group pressing the UK government to treat lesbians and gays equally under the law. [1, 2]
"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. He added that he did not take the advice. [1]
The account concerns a meeting McKellen said took place years before his later film roles, but the exact date is unclear. Stonewall was founded around 1989, and Guinness died in 2000. [1]
McKellen told the story in a recent interview with The Guardian, according to the reports. Yahoo Taiwan said the 86-year-old actor revisited the episode after watching "Two Halves of Guinness," while noting his coming out in 1988 at age 48. [1, 2]
The report was published on 2026-05-12, and no further public appearance or follow-up from McKellen was given in the facts. [2]
