Sir Ian McKellen, 85, proved that age and a few bumps won’t keep a good wizard down as he hit the dancefloor at London’s men-only club night, Roast. The Lord of the Rings star ditched his wizard robes for a vintage floral red shirt and posed with two shirtless hunks, looking like he’d just summoned a good time spell.
One partygoer at the club, which boasts five floors and a big darkroom (nope, no Gandalf magic there), said, “We were gobsmacked to see him grooving! He looked like he didn’t have a care in the world—definitely not like a guy who fell off stage a few months ago.” Another fan greeted the star as “Gandalf the Gay,” a joke McKellen took with good humor. The Roast club’s Instagram page even shared a cheeky post from a fan, saying, “Gandalf flakes on every battle but turns up to Roast.” Now that’s dedication.
The veteran actor, whose stage career spans over six decades, raised concern earlier this year when he took a tumble off the stage during a performance of Henry IV. The incident chipped a vertebra and fractured his wrist, leading McKellen to feel “ashamed” for missing the rest of the run. But seeing him busting moves at Roast, it seems he’s healed both physically and emotionally, not letting a minor setback get in the way of a good time.
McKellen came out as gay at 49, and as he’s often said, it changed his life. “Almost overnight, everything got better—relationships, my attitude to acting, everything.” And from the looks of it, he’s still living his best life. After all, who needs the Grey or the White when you’ve got Gandalf the Gay living it up on London’s club scene?