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For decades now, Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart have had their names linked together, playing two sides of the same coin as Magneto and Professor X in theX-Menfilms. However, the pair have been close to each other for far longer, dating back to their times working in the Royal Shakespeare Company together in the 1970s.
With how closely they have been linked, it is not surprising that they consulted each other when they were making big career decisions. In an interview, Stewart revealed that he was given a very big piece of advice by McKellen when he was considering joining the cast ofStar Trek.
Ian McKellen’s Words of Wisdom to Patrick Stewart
During an interview withSouthbank Centre, Patrick Stewart revealed that he sought Ian McKellen’s advice when he was first given the chance to join the cast ofStar Trek: The Next Generation. Since the franchise wasn’t all too big at the time, with onlyStar Trek: The Original Serieshaving come out by that point, McKellen was quite wary about what this would mean for his friend’s career.
Stewart revealed that McKellen told him not to take the job as he already had a lot going on for him that could establish him within the film industry. Considering how television series can often turn into very long contracts, his reservations do make sense.
Patrick Stewart’s Favorite Star Trek: The Next Generation Episode is the One Starring His Son: “That was an extraordinary experience”
Ian said, “Don’t do it. Don’t do it. Look you’ve got a great career ahead of you, on the stage…I thought, you know, perhaps, he was right. I shouldn’t do television. Well, then I learned that it was a six-year contract and it was ten months in every six years that we would be working.
Additionally, Stewart was also given a six-year contract to sign, which would make it very difficult for him to pursue any other jobs, specifically because the contract required ten months from him, every year, for six years.
While anyone would have been cautious about such a deal, letting this opportunity pass him by could have easily been one of the biggest mistakes in Stewart’s professional life.
Ian McKellen Was Wrong
One of the defining projects in the early years ofPatrick Stewart’scareer has to be theStar Trekfranchise. He was front and center as Jean-Luc Picard in the first show that he starred in. Additionally, he has been a part of projects likeStar Trek: Picard,Star Trek: First Contact,Star Trek: Nemesis, andStar Trek Generations.
With this in mind, one can wonder what a horrible decision it could have been if Stewart had listened toIan McKellen’sadvice. Later in the interview, the actor spoke on exactly this, stating that the role that the Magneto actor asked him to turn down ended up being career-defining in many ways, having worked on the franchise for 12 years and turned into a timeless icon.
Then we did four feature films after that. So the job that Ian had recommended I turn down, actually lasted 12 years. He has admitted this in public that he did recommend that, and he has admitted he was wrong.
“I tried to get them to cut my scenes down”: Real Reason Patrick Stewart Was So Ashamed of a Chosen Few Star Trek: The Next Generation Episodes
While some might be spiteful about being this wrong, Stewart led on that McKellen was more than happy to admit that he was wrong. Talking about the poor advice, the actor has admitted openly to the public that it is a good thing that Stewart did not listen to his suggestion.
Ananya Godboley
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2219
Ananya Godboley is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows, with over 2,000 articles published. She has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years. Currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in psychology from K.R. Mangalam University, Ananya also likes to fangirl as a full-time job. She covers news and analyses on anything from Rick and Morty to Hannibal and even Arcane. In between these lines, she also enjoys superheroes and Taylor Swift.A philosophy enthusiast, Ananya enjoys digging deeper into the media she consumes, trying to understand the root of her favorite characters' behavior.
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