Ian McKellen says he is fine but has ‘emotional residues’ after onstage fall

Ian McKellen says he has recuperated from the broken bones he suffered after falling from the stage in June, but is still emotionally recovering from the incident.

The 85-year-old actor told the BBC he planned to continue working after being forced to take off the rest of the year because of the fall.

The double Oscar nominee snapped his wrist and chipped a vertebra when he fell from a stage playing John Falstaff in a performance of Player Kings at the Noël Coward theatre in June.

“I shall just keep at it as long as the legs and the lungs and the mind keep working,” McKellen said on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme .

He added: “I’m physically recovered. I broke my wrist, which is what every kid who falls off his bike does, and that’s all right now. Chipped a little vertebra. Left a bit with a few aches and but not pains.”

But he added: “It’s emotionally that I’ve got some residue that I’ve got to deal with … I think there’s something inside me that has to be calmed down. But I’m feeling fine.”

He confirmed that he feared his career was over as he fell from the stage. McKellen said: “I said to myself as I slid off the stage, ‘This is the end.’ Apparently I shouted out, ‘My neck is broken, I’m dying.’ I don’t remember saying that. So there was a lot going on in my head.”

He added: “It seemed to be the end of something, but it was the end of Falstaff.”

McKellen also confirmed that his fall was broken by wearing a fat suit . He said: “I was playing Falstaff, who is a fat man, and I wore a fat suit to make me look fat – padded you see – no problem with ribs or my hips.”

In a separate interview with the Big Issue , McKellen said he was determined to continue playing the role of Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings films. He played Gandalf in the Hobbit trilogy and will appear again in the role in The Hunt for Gollum, the latest instalment of the franchise due for release in 2026.

He told the magazine: “Enthusiasm for The Lord of the Rings shows no sign of abating. I may even be going back to play Gandalf again.”

He added: “I can’t tell you any more than that. I’ve just been told there are going to be more films and Gandalf will be involved, and they hope that I’ll be playing him.

“When? I don’t know. What the script is? It’s not written yet. So, they better be quick.”