One of the greatest actors of our time, Ian McKellen has been doing solid work for decades on the stage and screen. While there has been plenty of opportunity to see his films, select US audiences, including Los Angeles, will have the rare chance to see the British McKellen live at UCLA on select dates during Oct. 19-28 as he performs the titular character in Shakespeare’s King Lear and Soren in Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull live under the direction of Trevor Nunn.

In this exclusive interview we talked to the man affectionately known around the world as Gandalf the White about the upcoming show.  

Los Angeles Journal: What is about King Lear and The Seagull that have you coming back ten years later?

Ian McKellen: I haven’t played King Lear or Soren before. I’ve played Edgar and Kent in King Lear. I’ve watched a few King Lears at close quarters having played the two. I remember it was a strain on the actors but it also brought out the best in them. I’m certainly finding it hard work, but that’s par for the course.

LAJ: How do these productions address larger concerns?

IK: I don’t think we chose to do them because we thought: This is the moment for the world to look at King Lear because he’s got something particular to say about the world’s situation. The case is often true in Shakespeare that actors discover the plays are about personal relationships, which reverberate down the centuries. They’re not plays stuck in the particularity of the time they’re written. We’re not doing King Lear because we think it reflects on the situation in Iraq or anywhere else. Those expecting that will find our production rather old fashioned [Laughs]. In Trevor Nunn’s production it tells the story with clarity and it’s up to the audience to take from it what they want.

LAJ: Do you find theater addressing the greater social concerns of our world? Is it timid for these times?

IK: Well I’ve always thought of Shakespeare as a modern writer and that’s true of actors throughout generations. He’s the greatest storyteller of all time. Anybody in Hollywood wanting to write a screenplay should study Shakespeare because Shakespeare did it better than they’ll ever do it. One never needs an excuse for doing Shakespeare. All the actors have to do is make sure they’re doing it with clarity so that any difficulties people have with the occasionally archaic language will be able to access the emotions which, as I say, remain vibrant and modern despite the fact they were written 400 years ago.

LAJ: Yet the way plays are produced and alter or initiate various political implications and representations.

IK: That’s not how I do Shakespeare. I don’t decide to use Shakespeare to boast my own views on anything. He knows a great deal more about human nature than I do. The challenge of Shakespeare is to present him with all his complications, all his subtleties, all the difficulties, all the contradictions and for the audience to respond in whatever they will. The fun of doing Shakespeare is to delve into all corners of it and present everything that is there and then have the audience respond. If I want to write a pamphlet, then I will write a pamphlet.

LAJ: Do you ever apply any of your own political considerations when you consider a role?

IK: If there were a play that seemed to be advocating something I didn’t approve of – like capital punishment or war as the answer to every political situation or an extreme rightwing view – then I would wonder whether I wanted to be in it. But if it were a good piece of storytelling it probably wouldn’t achieve those very limited ends. I can’t think of a part that I’ve turned down because I didn’t approve of what the character was saying and often, of course, I play people one wouldn’t want to meet in real life. Like Iago in Othello or MacBeth. They do terrible things. They are murderers. They encourage other people to behave badly. A play advocating one simple point of view would be a very boring play indeed and therefore I wouldn’t want to be in it. I’ve been in Martin Sherman’s Bent twice. I was in the original production in 1979 and I revived it 10 years later at the National Theatre. That is a play I thoroughly approve of because it’s about what it’s like to be gay and it also discusses society’s prejudices against gay people. That wasn’t why I did it. It was a really good piece of storytelling and a challenging part. The play on the whole was expressing my own views, but I didn’t do it as a piece of agitprop

LAJ: Your life seems to consist about acting. What other interests do you have outside of the stage and screen?

IK: Acting isn’t like making furniture. Acting is about what it is to be a human being and life itself. I’m constantly delving into other peoples’ lives when I play the part. It isn’t a pastime. It’s not just work or a hobby. It’s all embracing. I don’t have a need to get back to what I most enjoy. What I most enjoy is being inquisitive about human nature, life and politics. That’s all satisfied by acting. I enjoy walking in wild places, traveling, reading and getting involved sometimes in politics, but my abiding interest is getting better as an actor and that’s a journey that never ends.

LAJ: And lastly, what do you think about these interviews where you discuss yourself and your work? Do they serve the work or should the work speak for itself?

IK: It seems if people only know me from articles they’ve read or interviews I’ve given that I love talking about myself [Laughs]. It’s not what I do all day long. It would be lovely to never have to give an interview because sometimes you find yourself overanalyzing yourself or making a case you don’t totally believe in [Laughs]. I haven’t written a book about acting or an autobiography and I don’t intend to. I would rather just be known as an actor and for people to come see me at work.  

For more information on McKellen at UCLA, call 310/825-2101, visit www.uclalive.org or contact Ticketmaster.