Do we like Ian McKellen?
Our score: 9 out of 10. He has spent decades campaigning for LGBTQ+ people, including trans people, and one badly judged 2019 remark is the only real mark.
Sir Ian is a stage and screen great, but the part that matters here is the activism. He helped found Stonewall, the UK gay rights lobby group. That is why a bigger name once tried to warn him off. In a May 2026 Guardian interview, reported by Variety, he recalled Alec Guinness inviting him to lunch and urging him to step back from Stonewall.
According to McKellen, Guinness thought it “somewhat unseemly for an actor to dabble in public or political affairs”. McKellen didn't take the advice, and he has kept campaigning ever since. The story shows he has been willing to risk his career for other people since long before it was safe or fashionable.
The one real blot is from 2019. At a live podcast recording he was asked about the sexual assault allegations against Bryan Singer and Kevin Spacey. He suggested the men may have been driven to offend because they couldn't be open about their sexuality. He called that wrong on Twitter the next day, said he would never condone or trivialise abuse, and apologised for the distress he caused. That's a clumsy, hurtful remark, owned quickly.
On the harm check, the record is clean. In 2021 he urged gay people to be allies to trans people, saying we're all under the same queer umbrella. He also noted that saying so brings “the wrath of God” down from certain quarters. I found nothing from him against women, migrants, public health or the planet. I also found no pattern of working with people who push harm.
The recent news is more of the same. On 30 May 2026 he marched through central London against laws criminalising LGBTQ+ people in 29 Commonwealth countries. He said it was “not about hatred” but about love of justice and equality. He called the demonstration small but hoped it might nudge politicians into discussing the issue.
The record has gaps. I couldn't open some of the fuller backstory and 2026 coverage, such as the Trump comments reported around his Marvel work, so I've left those out. I found no lawsuits against him, no allegations about how he treats people, and no stories of him being a nightmare on set.