Sir Ian McKellen says fat suit saved him from worse injury
Ian McKellen has detailed the extent of his injuries as he has an update following his horror stage fall. The Burnley-born actor, 85, fell off stage in June whilst performing in Player Kings in London’s West End, breaking his wrist and chipping one of his vertebrae.
During an appearance on BBC Breakfast, Ian told Tim Muffett that the fat suit he wore to play the Shakespearean character Falstaff ‘saved him’ from even worse injuries when he fell.
The actor, who played John Falstaff in the play, a production adapted by Robert Icke from Shakespeare's Henry IV, parts one and two, confirmed that he is doing ‘fine’ but admitted that the incident was a ‘shock’.
Tim started off by saying: “Thank you for inviting us into your lovely home. How are you?” Ian revealed: “Yes so I think I’m fine.
“It was a nasty fall and it was a shock. I fractured my wrist, what every kid does when they fall off their bike and I clipped my vertebra.”
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Tim asked: “Do you remember how it happened?” Detailing the accident, he said: “I was moving about then my foot got caught on a chair, which I tried to kick off but doing that I fell forward like I was on a skateboard down onto the stage, which is a three foot drop.”
Ian admitted: “I was extremely lucky that I was wearing a padded suit because the part I was playing is fat.” Clearing up speculation, he went on: “It wasn’t that I was feeling dizzy or anything like that, it was a pure accident.
“I caught myself lucky that it’s beginning to be a distant memory. It did mean that I couldn’t do the tour so if there is a chance for me to apologise to the audience in Bristol, Birmingham and Newcastle. I’m sorry I wasn’t there but I’ll be back.”
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Despite confirming that he will be returning to the stage it won’t be anytime soon as the star has since announced that he’s taking a break from acting ‘for the rest of the year.’
The two-time Oscar nominee said he is taking time off to ‘rest’. In an interview with Big Issue, he said: “I’m usually working or preparing to work, I’ve been doing a little bit of that, wondering what might be the best plan. I’m going to take the rest of the year off. Not because I need to, just because I want to.”
