Aside from talking about his effort to stay away from becoming 'decrepit', the 'X-Men' actor talks about his preparation to once again take the onstage role of Hamlet.
- May 31, 2021
AceShowbiz - Sir Ian McKellen has discovered a passion for Pilates online during lockdown.
The 82-year-old actor was encouraged to find a light exercise to stay active during quarantine, and now he's trying to stick to a workout regime because he doesn't want to become "decrepit".
"On and off I've been aware that exercise is a good idea and I've done various disciplines," the "X-Men" star says. "I've been doing Pilates online through lockdown. It just keeps me active."
"The trouble with a lot of people my age is that they are decrepit, not simply because they are getting older but because they are not doing enough of what they always did do - walk, run, exercise. It's all too easy to think, 'Well, I'll have a little sleep now. It's 11 o'clock in the morning'."
Now that people are beginning to come out of lockdown, Sir Ian is finding himself taking on new forms of exercise as he prepares to step into the "athletic" role of Hamlet onstage.
"Hamlet is... a fencer and rather good at it, so I am doing a few lunges," he adds.
Ian is returning to the famous role after an initial outing in 1971, and has said he never thought he would take on the part again.
"It had never crossed my mind to play Hamlet again," he explains. "I hadn't much enjoyed doing it before. Nor had many people who saw it enjoyed it, as far as I can make out. I got some sniffy reviews. I thought it was enough to look romantic and tousle my hair and rattle the speeches off and I'd get by."
