Actor Ian McKellen said he is looking forward to returning to work after he toppled off a London stage mid-performance and was hospitalised.
McKellen, 85, said he was “hugely indebted” to medics who treated him after the tumble on Monday night (Tuesday in Australia) during a performance of Player Kings at London’s Noel Coward Theatre.
“They have assured me that my recovery will be complete and speedy and I am looking forward to returning to work,” he said on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Watch the video above.
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Performances on Tuesday and Wednesday were cancelled after the accident and are scheduled to resume on Thursday (Friday in Australia).
The stage and screen veteran, who played Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings films, cried out in pain after the fall, according to a BBC journalist at the theatre. McKellen was playing the roguish John Falstaff in Player Kings, an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s two Henry IV history plays, directed by Robert Icke.
Theatregoers were startled when McKellen lost his footing and fell off the stage in a fight scene involving Toheeb Jimoh’s Prince Hal and Henry Percy, played by Samuel Edward-Cook.
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“Sir Ian seemed to trip as he moved downstage to take a more active part in the scene,” audience member Paul Critchley told the PA news agency, saying it was a shock.
“He picked up momentum as he moved downstage which resulted in him falling off the stage directly in front of the audience.”
Staff and two doctors in the audience helped the actor, the theatre said in a statement. The theatre was evacuated and the performance was cancelled.
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McKellen played Magneto in the X-Men films and is one of Britain’s most acclaimed Shakespearean actors, with roles including Richard III, Macbeth and King Lear.
He has won a Tony Award – for Amadeus – several Olivier Awards, and has been nominated for two Academy Awards, five Emmys and several BAFTA awards.
Ian McKellen’s full statement
“I want to thank everyone for their kind messages and support.
“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.
“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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