Sir Ian McKellen became visibly emotional after reading a poignant passage while discussing his experience of coming out as gay in a new episode of Sky's Tea with Judi Dench. Dame Judi Dench, who has previously made some frank revelations herself, was accompanied by her dear friend Sir Ian for a candid discussion about their remarkable lives both on and off the stage.
Reflections on Stardom and Section 28
From performance anxiety and the vulnerabilities of their profession to international stardom, they looked back on the challenges and difficulties they've each encountered. Throughout, Sir Ian spoke touchingly about publicly revealing his sexuality as a gay man, something he's done repeatedly, and his pivotal involvement in the campaign against Section 28, alongside one of his deepest regrets—never having been honest about his identity with his parents.
Near the conclusion of the episode, the duo were seated in Dame Judi's garden when Sir Ian recited an affecting passage from amongst his most cherished books, Tales of the City, which moved him to tears. The writer, Armistead Maupin, wrote numerous books about life in San Francisco, with one of his principal characters being gay, reports the Daily Star.
An Emotional Reading
Sir Ian voiced a heartfelt letter the character had composed to his mother: "I'm sorry it's taken me so long to write, mama. Every time I try to write to you and papa, I realise I am not saying the things that are in my heart..." The correspondence continued: "I have friends who think I am foolish to write this letter, and I hope they are wrong."
"I want to tell you the truth that your own child is homosexual. I'm sorry, Mama, not for what I am, but for how you must feel at the moment. I know what that feeling is, for I felt it for most of my life- revulsion, shame, disbelief." The character concluded: "I know what you are thinking now, you are asking yourself, 'What did we do wrong?' 'How did we let this happen?' 'Which one of us made him that way?'"
"I can't answer that, Mama, and in the long run I guess I really don't care, and all I know is this - if you and Papa are responsible for the way I am, then I thank you." With that, Sir Ian sighed and said: "Judi, whenever a gay man reads this, it gets them," he said, his voice catching as emotion overtook him.
Regrets and Legacy
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he commented before expressing regret for becoming tearful. "Don't be sorry, don't ever be sorry," Judi responded, clasping her friend's hand as she too began to feel moved. Sir Ian publicly revealed he was gay in January 1988, aged 48.
He disclosed this during a live radio discussion about Section 28, a contentious piece of legislation put forward by Margaret Thatcher's administration that aimed to prohibit local authorities from "intentionally promoting homosexuality or publishing material with the intention of promoting homosexuality". When questioned whether he supported abolishing Section 28, he stated: "I certainly would."
"It's offensive to anyone who is - like myself - homosexual, apart from the whole business of what can and cannot be taught to children." That same April, he played a key role in establishing the LGBT rights charity Stonewall, which took its name from the riots in New York City's Greenwich Village.
Section 28 was ultimately abolished in its entirety in 2003. Earlier in the episode of Tea with Judi Dench, the star said his "one regret" in life was not coming out to his mother and father earlier. "I have few regrets in my life, but that's one of them, that I didn't talk," he admitted. Tea with Judi Dench is streaming on Sky Arts, Freeview, and streaming service NOW.
