Sir Ian McKellen has admitted he’s nervous to go out after his stage fall.
The 85-year-old acting legend chipped his vertebrae and fractured his wrist in June when he plummeted off stage at the Noel Coward Theatre in the West End, where he was playing John Falstaff in Player Kings. He has now given fans an update, saying he is still dealing with “agonising pains”.
And he fears going outside of house in case he gets ‘banged’ into by somebody. However, the beloved star reckons he probably had a “lucky escape” because the fatsuit he was wearing for the role protected him to some extent.
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Sir Ian told Saga magazine: “My chipped vertebrae and fractured wrist are not yet mended. I don’t go out because I get nervous in case someone bangs into me, and I’ve got agonising pains in my shoulders to do with my whole frame having been jolted.”
(Image: Hoda Davaine/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
“But I was wearing a fat suit for Falstaff and that saved my ribs and other joints,” he went on. “So I’ve had a lucky escape really.”
The X-Men star also explained how his “horrible” fall had happened in the first place. He said that his foot had got caught in a chair during a battle scene and that as he tried to shake it free, he started to slide on some newspaper as if he were on a skateboard, before plunging off stage. “It was very upsetting,” he told the publication.
(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images for The)
Sir Ian – whose understudy replaced him in the production so that he could recuperate – said he has to keep reminding himself that the fall was an accident and that he is “not too old to act”. Fans were horrified when the screen star fell during the show, but he later posted a message on X to “thank everyone for their kind messages and support” and to assure them that he was going to be fine.
(Image: supply.91/Instagram)
“Since the accident, during a performance of Player Kings last night, my injuries have been diagnosed and treated by a series of experts, specialists and nurses working for the National Health Service,” he wrote. “To them, of course, I am hugely indebted. They have assured me that my recovery will be complete and speedy and I am looking forward to returning to work.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
