Ian McKellen Says Obi-Wan Kenobi Actor Alec Guinness Told Him to Stay Quiet on Gay Rights Because ‘It’s Unseemly for an Actor to Dabble in Political Affairs’

Home Film News May 11, 2026 4:12am PT Ian McKellen Says Obi-Wan Kenobi Actor Alec Guinness Told Him to Stay Quiet on Gay Rights Because ‘It’s Unseemly for an Actor to Dabble in Political Affairs’ By Zack Sharf Plus Icon Zack Sharf Digital News Director ZSharf Latest Ian McKellen Says Obi-Wan Kenobi Actor Alec Guinness Told Him to Stay Quiet on Gay Rights Because ‘It’s Unseemly for an Actor to Dabble in Political Affairs’ 17 minutes ago Miami Police Officers Sue Ben Affleck and Matt Damon Over ‘The Rip,’ Alleging Netflix Movie Caused ‘Substantial Harm’ to Their Reputations 2 hours ago Marilyn Monroe’s Final Interview Sets Release and Finds Her Embracing Sex Symbol Status: ‘I Never Had an Erotic Scene and Always Wanted to Test It Out’ 3 days ago See All Everett Collection Ian McKellen revealed in a recent interview with The Guardian that Obi-Wan Kenobi actor Alec Guinness once advised him not to go public when it came to advocating for gay rights. Guinness allegedly told McKellen to “withdraw” his support for the U.K. gay rights lobby group Stonewall, which at the time was fighting for government protections to ensure gay citizens were treated equally under the law. “He took me for an Italian lunch in Pimlico, where we chatted about this and that until he brought up the real reason for his invitation,” McKellen told the publication. “He had heard about my work to establish Stonewall – a lobby group to present to the government and the world at large the case for treating U.K. lesbians and gays equally under the law with the rest of the population. 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. Advice from an older generation, which I didn’t follow.” Popular on Variety Related Stories Monia Chokri to Preside Over Cannes Caméra d’Or Jury