Sir Ian McKellen is a versatile actor who achieved worldwide fame for his film roles, including the titular role in Richard III, James Whale in Gods and Monsters, and Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
The actor really has done it all. But he got the most hype from fans by playing Erik Lehnsherr, aka Magneto, in Marvel’s X-Men films.
Also, McKellen could’ve been Dumbledore in Harry Potter too, but he turned down the role. The actor once revealed what ultimately led to his decision to turn down Dumbledore and the reason was an ‘insult.’ It was an insult that discouraged McKellen from joining the Harry Potter franchise.
Why Sir Ian McKellen Refused to Play Dumbledore in Harry Potter Franchise?
One of the most recognized roles of Sir Ian McKellen was wizard Gandalf from the Lord of the Rings films. Gandalf is one of the most important characters in the entire series (whose power is his wisdom). However, there was another opportunity for McKellen to play the other most recognizable wizard in cinema — Albus Dumbledore.
The legendary Irish actor Richard Harris was cast as Dumbledore in Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. But he tragically passed away right after The Chamber of Secrets wrapped filming.
After Harris’ death, legendary thespian Sir Ian McKellen was approached to take on the role. McKellen shared details about getting that phone call with BBC and his decision to pass on the offer. He went on to say:
“When they called me up and said would I be interested in being in the Harry Potter films, they didn’t say what part.”
But did you know why did he pass on the role? Because Harris disparaged McKellen and his fellow actors, Derek Jacobi and Kenneth Branagh, calling them “technically brilliant, but passionless.”
So, McKellen felt like he couldn’t, in good conscience, step into the role after Harris threw shade at him and his fellows. In the same interview with BBC, the actor said:
“I couldn’t take over the part of an actor who I’d known didn’t approve of me.”
And that’s how McKellen passed on the opportunity to play one of the powerful characters.
After Sir Ian McKellen Rejected to Play Dumbledore, Who Took on the Role?
After all this drama, the wizarding franchise brought Michael Gambon to take up the Dumbledore mantle after Harris, who portrayed the character for the rest of the films.
Even though McKellen passed on Dumbledore, Michael Gambon stepped up in 2004 to portray Hogwarts’ Headmaster from films three to eight of the series. And there was no bad blood as McKellen gave Gambon props, saying he did the job “gloriously.” Dumbledore’s legacy was in safe hands, for sure!
All eight Harry Potter films are currently available on HBO Max.
Source: BBC
