At the 2002 Oscar Awards Ian McKellen he had been nominated for Best Supporting Actor for The Fellowship of the Ring, thanks to his role as Gandalf. Except that he hadn’t won, and he had also felt made fun of by Maggie Smith.
Ian McKellen himself had told the backstory during an episode of the Graham Norton Show: “In New Zealand, once filming is over, before you leave they give you a carved green stone which, if worn often, would increase your chances of returning to the country, bringing you luck”.
One thing that happened to all the cast and crew members: “When The Lord of the Rings got those nominations we were all wearing our stone” Ian McKellen continued “and on the red carpet going to the ceremony I met Maggie Smith, who asked me what I was doing there and noticed the necklace I was wearing”.
Ian McKellen then explained to Maggie Smith the meaning of the green stone and the fact that it was a lucky charm: “But then in the end everyone won an Oscar except me, so as I was leaving the ceremony looking for a drink I met Maggie Smith again and she said to me: it didn’t work, did it?”. Classic British humor from a fantastic actress.
And did you know this? We leave you with the beautiful video by Ian McKellen and Anthony Hopkins, in the meantime tell us your opinion in the comments!
Here is also Ian McKellen’s best advice for learning to be an actor.
