British actor Sir Ian McKellen, who was
knighted for his outstanding contributions to theater in 1991, has
dismissed claims that gay actors should remain closeted.
McKellen made the case for openly gay
actors in an interview with celebrity website Popeater.com.
The outspoken 71-year-old McKellen, who
came out gay in 1988, said being honest is a matter of happiness.
“If you're going around telling a lie
you may get by but you won't be half as happy as you would be if you
came out,” the Oscar-nominated actor said.
He added: “I don't think any gay
person is going to be happy and bring joy to themselves and other
people unless they can be honest about their sexuality, and if other
people don't like that honesty, that's a comment on them and not on
the person who is being honest.”
The star of The Lord of the Rings
and X-Men said out actors can still keep their lives private:
“You don't have to talk about what you do in bed anymore than I
have to talk about the food I eat.”