Jenny Seagrove as Ian McKellen’s mum? No wonder she says acting is all about suspending disbelief!
Sir Ian McKellen yesterday defended his decision to play Hamlet at the age of 81, with co-star Jenny Seagrove set to portray his mother – despite being 18 years his junior.
The veteran actor had raised eyebrows by taking the role of a character meant to be no older than 30, but he dismissed concerns by saying the Shakespearean part had even been played successfully by women in the past.
Ms Seagrove, 63, insisted that she ‘completely forgot’ that McKellen, who turns 82 in May, was in his 80s when the pair rehearsed their stage roles together last year.
Veteran actor Sir Ian McKellen (pictured) had raised eyebrows by taking the role of a character meant to be no older than 30
The production is due to open at the Theatre Royal Windsor in the summer.
Speaking on BBC radio, Sir Ian said: ‘It is a bit of a gamble but I look back at the last century when Edwin Booth, the great American actor, played him.
It was the last part he played. He was way into his 60s. Women have played Hamlet, very successfully. So it isn’t quite as outrageous as it might seem on paper.’
McKellen told Radio 4’s Today programme that it was easier to play a younger character because he was young once – unlike younger actors trying to play older roles.
‘When I was a youngster in regional repertory theatre you had a different play every two weeks.
‘You often had to play the old men, putting on beards and moustaches. Trying to look like Gandalf when you’re 22 wasn’t very easy because you haven’t been old.
Ms Seagrove, 63, (pictured) insisted that she ‘completely forgot’ that McKellen, who turns 82 in May, was in his 80s when the pair rehearsed their stage roles together last year
‘Now I’m in my 80s, I have been young so I can remember what it’s like and force myself to feel what it was like.’
Ms Seagrove, who will play Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother, added: ‘Acting is about suspending disbelief and our production isn’t just about age blindness but about gender blindness and some colour blindness which is just so exciting.’
But the casting decision drew criticism from actress Nicky Clark, who founded the Acting Your Age Campaign.
She posted on Twitter: ‘Theatre, film and TV is ageless for men, for women it’s an entirely different landscape. On screen and on stage men have a whole life, women have a shelf life.’