Sir Ian McKellen has paid a moving tribute to his close friend Sir Patrick Stewart.
Decades of Friendship
The two first met at the Royal Shakespeare Company in the 1970s and went on to share a friendship that lasted the rest of Stewart’s life. On screen, they faced off as Professor X and Magneto in the X-Men films, beginning in 2000, and their scenes together, especially across a chessboard, became some of the franchise’s most memorable.
Off screen, they were almost inseparable. They shared Broadway stages, including a run of Waiting for Godot and No Man’s Land, turned up together on red carpets, and delighted fans with their playful friendship online. McKellen even officiated Stewart’s wedding.
McKellen’s Words
In his statement, McKellen remembered Stewart as a proud Yorkshireman who always spoke with honesty. “He wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love,” he wrote.
He also shared that Stewart once came to him for advice about whether to take the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation. At the time, it was a real risk for a classically trained stage actor. It ended up bringing Stewart’s talent to millions of people around the world and defining his career.
One Last Performance
McKellen closed by noting that Stewart’s final performance, in Avengers: Doomsday, is still to come, giving audiences one more chance to see him on the big screen.
For fans who grew up watching the two of them as rivals on screen and best friends in real life, McKellen’s words are a reminder of what made their bond so special. It was never just a working relationship. It was a friendship built over half a century, and it showed in everything they did together.