Sir Ian McKellen has been making the publicity rounds the past week to promote his AMC miniseries The Prisoner. I only really know about the miniseries because AMC showed a million previews for it during the last two episodes of Mad Men (psst… didn’t the season finale knock your socks off? Sigh… I love The Hamm). The Prisoner is allegedly about some kind of utopian society gone wrong, like Brave New World with Sir Ian as the puppet-master or something. I saw the previews and I still didn’t get it.
Part of the reason I don’t really know what The Prisoner is about is because Sir Ian isn’t spending too much time talking about it. Instead, he’s giving interviews about gay rights! In Ian’s defense, it’s perfectly possible he is talking about his miniseries, but that the few and far between quotes about gay rights are getting most the play. True story – we like reporting the most controversial thing. Much like how we picked out Sir Ian’s “ripping out the pages of the Bible” quote from his extensive interview in Details. Today’s hot, gay topic is that Sir Ian believes in the destruction of property as a way to get gay rights. Sort of. It’s one method he’s advocating:
BRITISH actor Sir Ian McKellen is supporting aggressive tactics in the gay-marriage fight. In an interview on IMRU Radio in LA, McKellen said: “We’re . . . discovering who the enemy are, and I do think we do have an enemy. It means that everyone’s got to go on fighting. And in what way you fight, well, it depends who you are . . . You can write a letter, you can talk about it to your congressperson . . . you can talk to people in bars . . . Or you can go on marches, or you can go and break windows.”
[From Page Six]
Is Sir Ian promoting violence and the destruction of property? Eh… I think he was just listing all of the things that could be done, and destroying property was one of many. I could be wrong, though – maybe he truly believes in the violent overthrow of the heterosexual agenda. Good luck with that!
In one more piece of Sir Ian news, there was a little incident on “The View” that got some play last week. Sir Ian went on to promote The Prisoner, and faced inane questions from the ladies. Whoopi got to ask him the million-dollar question, though: “Now, are you coming back to ‘Harry Potter’?” Chuckle. I would have loved it if Sir Ian had replied “Yes, of course.” Here’s the AMC trailer for The Prisoner:
Here’s Sir Ian McKellen entering NBC studios in New York City on November 5, 2009. Credit: Patricia Schlein/WENN.com
I’m with you, I think he was just listing things. In fact, he seemed to be contrasting non-violent and violent means of protest. Writing letters, marching, breaking windows, etc.
He’s an actor. They do tend to turn to the dramatic. 🙂
Yes, destruction has always worked so well in the past at getting things done.
Why contrast non-violent/violent means of protest? List things, productive that you can do, not things that are destructive. He could have stopped at writing letters, marching, as that is the correct way to go about getting change.
I really have a problem with people even hinting at destruction of property, even to make a point, because it is always the property of others that gets destroyed, not the property of those that are preventing the change getting destroyed. Anyway, destruction is not the way to go, and while I support gay marriage I do not support Ian McKellen.
I think it was one of those “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore” comments. Social change moves frustratingly slow and sometimes you just want to shake someone and yell, “I’m a human being just like you.” I have faced degrading discrimination and survived yet I think of others who have not, I am not advocating violence or destroying/damaging property. But in the same breath I know what Sir Ian means.
cut the guy some slack. He’s just offering a list of possible remedies for the wrongdoing of others…and destroying property belonging to others is just part of the list.
That’s not advocating it, right?
Firestarter, I agree with your observation regarding property destruction. Protesters seldom destroy their own property. Often times property of innocent third parties gets destroyed. Anyway, property destruction is not productive or persuasive.
while I agree that destruction of property is not always a good idea or a good way to bring about change…
…there are some things that may never have changed if it weren’t for destruction of property.
(Think Boston Tea Party, or the fall of the Berlin Wall…)
By the way….please take my comment with a huge grain of salt….I meant it mega-sarcastically.
I support gay rights, and their right to marry, but think he should’ve stopped at saying breaking windows would be a way to promote change. When I see violent protesters, all it does is make me mad at them, and not want to support what they want. So that wouldn’t be the way to go in order to promote equal rights.
How very Magneto of him!
@Praise St. Angie- I think the Berlin wall is a little different than running around in the streets and breaking windows. The Berlin wall was a structure that divided a country in two, not a window in some shop. (that was not meant to sound snotty by the way!: ) )
believe me firestarter, I see the diff…
but I just wanted to make the point that destruction of property isn’t ALWAYS a bad thing.
however, breaking windows for gay rights? that doesn’t fall into my “exceptions” group.
I agree with all of you, we often face a backlash when events turn violent or laws are broken in the name of change. I do have to admit there have been times I’ve wanted to paint the front of my house lavender, sport a brush cut, get a tattoo and blast kd Lang just to liven the place up, but my grandkids might hide my Steel Magnolias and Thelma and Louise DVDs until I stopped embarrassing them.
He’s hardly advocating violence. He’s expressing his frustration with the glacial pace of change, and saying that people should not have to sit quietly while others are trampling all over their rights and freedoms. It’s basic activist talk.
“The Prisoner” is not “allegedly” anything – it’s an American remake of a classic, brilliant British series.
Seems like the Americans have done what they always do – made everything bigger and shinier and more explosive, added way more numbers, cast an American as the protagonist Six and a Brit as the bad guy, and put it all in the too-long trailer.
That said, Sir Ian looks fantastic in this. Very menacing in a kindly fashion.
Like Six, Sir Ian is not a number. He is a free man. I think the activism works perfectly with the interviews for this particular series.
The way I read it was that you can do something productive or something pointless. Just like you could oppose gay rights by writing letters or demonstrating, or you might go and destruct the property of whoever you deem as “gay-friendly”.
Well said, Firestarter.
Meimei, it’s been done and continues to be done, fortunately I live in a country where there are laws respecting my rights to live, love and marry in a manner equal to the rest of society. To think there is such a division of ideas or that there are members of this society that feels threatened by the likes of me are amusing. I do not advocate violence or the destruction of property to assert my rights, but damn there have been times when I wished I was less passive or less respectful. There have been times when I wished I could slap someone hard. It’s funny once you are a member of a segment of society that is deemed “questionable” or considered an abomination by certain sectors of the population it can be difficult to be a peaceful individual, especially when you get older, because you expect the rest of the world would discover we are all just human beings who want to live in a world where we don’t have to be defensive or adhere to radical behaviours for our voices to be heard. I applaud Sir Ian for saying what he thinks, I applaud him for being both radical and endearing, and he’s a damn fine actor.
Word, Rosalee.
The frustration that builds at people NOT GETTING IT is amazing. And maybe I should have listened to less punk growoing up…but I totally get the need to smash things.
Now I’m not advocating one goes and wreaks havoc on their local street. But the urge to riot in the face of discrimination is completely understandable.
And for the record: I do think there is a time and place for violent protest (take Iran for instance, I completely support the work of the resistance in Tehran and beyond).
I just dont think this is one of them. And I dont think that’s what he meant either.
“Will you be coming back to Harry Potter?” Oh I wish I could have seen his facial expression!
I don’t think he’s actually SAYING “Yes, loyal fanboy minions, go be destructive in the name of gay rights!” It’s just a quote that is being over analyzed.
I just read it as (Sir) Ian McKellen being the same ould militant he’s always been.
On The Prisoner – the original was an absolute classic. There’s even a Simpsons parody. I’ve seen the extended trailer for the remake with Jim Cavaziel (who did a good job from what I’ve seen). It’s very different in a lot of ways from my memory of the original – some changes were necessary, other’s I’m not keen on.
At the moment I don’t like the set – although I’m not expecting Port Merion (a real place in Wales). Maybe the director was going for a “clausterphobia in a wide open space” feel. I guess I won’t know until I watch the DVD extras 😉
That tv show was fantastic. It was so claustrophobic. I’ve been to Port Merion too. I doubt any set or location could top it.
I think Sir Ian McKellen’s smashing!
I remember going to Port Merion when I was a teenager. It really freaked me out for some reason. I hadn’t seen the show at the time but it was such a strange and claustraphobic place. Guess it did its job!
I think tearing out that page of Leviticus is a great idea, throwing out the entire bible is an even better one. Rock on Ian!
Spot on, Dar.
The original Prisoner rocks– RIP, Patrick McGoohan.
I’d be scared of a Prisoner remake if anyone except McKellen were reprising the role. The original is unlike anything ever made.
Oh, and Team Silver Rebel all the way. Although I’m a fan of favoring the Yin approach for the long run, the Yang has a gratification that cannot be denied!
Sorry, I don’t support rights for any specific groups – I support RIGHTS FOR EVERYONE!
Life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness for everyone. Everyone has a right to their opinion, but no one has the right to suggest violence in order to force their agenda on others. Isn’t that what terrorists do?
@Trillion– McKellan is not reprising the role of The Prisoner (#6), he is playing #2. Jesus from The Passion of the Christ is in the title role.
Thanks, WTF, that makes much more sense. Don’t know about the James Caziviel (too lazy to spell check) casting but we shall see.
he’s starting to sound like a demented old fart. no offense.