Sir Ian McKellen looked in great spirits as he attended the National Youth Theatre’s BIG Night Out after party at Soho House Greek Street on Monday night.
The legendary actor, 84, seemed to be embracing his inner rockstar as he donned a striking black leather jacket with an orange fire emblazoned on the back.
Posing alongside fellow stage star Brian Cox, the pair looked to be best of friends as they grasped hands together in a sweet gesture.
Ian completed his look with a tweed flat cap and patterned scarf as he continues to sport his unruly white beard.
Meanwhile Brian opted for a very different look as he kept it smart in a suit.
Sir Ian McKellen, 84, embraced his inner rockstar in trendy leather jacket as he beams beside Brian Cox, 78, at the National Youth Theatre’s BIG Night Out after party at Soho House Greek Street on Monday night
Posing alongside fellow stage star Brian the pair looked to be best of friends as they grasped hands together in a sweet gesture
Brian, 78, donned a white printed shirt and blue tie underneath a buttoned up dark grey blazer and tailored trousers.
Ian enjoyed a night off from his current role as John Falstaff in the Player Kings production at Noel Coward Theatre on the West End.
The star has received rave four star reviews from critics for his ‘boundless energy’ and ‘showmanship’ in the production, which is directed by Robert Icke.
Ian is coming into the final few weeks of his 12-week run in the West End in the play that is a new version of Shakespeare’s Henry IV.
Having begun in April, Ian’s last performance in London will be June 22, before the cast then tour around the country visiting Bristol, Birmingham, Norwich and Newcastle.
Of why he took on the role, Sir Ian said when he became a professional actor at Cambridge in 1959, he was in John Barton’s undergraduate production of Henry IV.
He said: ‘Derek Jacobi played Prince Hal and I was the ancient Justice Shallow. Ever since, the plays have been among my favourite Shakespeares, although through the years I’ve resisted offers to play John Falstaff. Robert Icke’s ingenious adaptation was irresistible.’
Robert said: ‘It’s a genuine honour to work with one of our greatest Shakespearean actors, Ian McKellen, especially as he tackles one of the most iconic Shakespearean roles–and one he’s previously never turned his hand to.
Ian completed his look with a tweed flat cap and patterned scarf as he continues to sport his unruly white beard while Brian opted for a very different look as he kept it smart in a suit
The pair beamed in snaps together
Ian enjoyed a night off from his current role as John Falstaff in the Player Kings production at Noel Coward Theatre on the West End
The star has received rave four star reviews from critics for his ‘boundless energy’ and ‘showmanship’ in the production, which is directed by Robert Icke
‘It’s an exciting challenge to bring together two of Shakespeare’s plays into one production, and I’m so excited to share with audiences in the West End and across the country.’
Meanwhile Brian recently revealed his favorite line from Succession as he paid tribute to the moment his character Logan Roy told his children they were not serious people.
The Succession star appeared on The Starting Line Podcast in April, where he spoke with host Rich Leigh about the popular TV series from creator Jesse Armstrong, which wrapped up last year after four seasons.
‘It was a great role because he was also – he was a flawed man, but he was not – he was a serious man,’ Brian said of portraying the media mogul on the critically-acclaimed HBO drama from 2018 until its 2023 conclusion.
He said the line he liked the best came in the second episode of the fourth season amid a tense discussion between Logan Roy and his four kids – Connor Roy (Alan Ruck), Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong), Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook) and Roman Roy (Kieran Culkin) – over the pending sale of his multimedia empire, Waystar Royco.
Meanwhile Brian recently revealed his favorite line from Succession as he paid tribute to the moment his character Logan Roy told his children they were not serious people
‘My favorite line in the whole show is when he says to the kids, “I love you, but you’re not serious people,”‘ Cox said. ‘And it’s true – they’re not – it’s about avarice, it’s about greed and that’s not what he’s talking about.’
The Dundee, Scotland native said that Logan’s biggest foible was his love for his children, as three of the four spend the majority of the series plotting to curry the aging media magnate’s favor, and in turn, be named his successor.
‘The thing about Logan, he was a self-made man,’ the Emmy Award-winning actor said. ‘He was brutalist in his attitude, but also, and this was right the way back, his one weakness – which should’ve been his strength – was that he loved his children.
‘If he didn’t love his children, things would’ve been a lot things would’ve been a lot happier…he loves his children – that’s the thing he loves them all, but he sees them as wrecks.’
