Ian McKellen wants his fellow actors to embrace their gender and sexual identity publicly. In an interview with The Times of London Sunday, the Lord of the Rings actor urged famous LGBTQ people hiding their identity to come out of the closet.

Screen and stage veteran Sir Ian McKellen urges young gay actors to come out, liking their situation to star footballers in the UK premier league. The English actor, most famous for playing wizard Gandalf in Peter Jackson’s epic Lord of the Rings franchise, told The Times of London newspaper:

Sir Ian McKellen made waves when he came out as gay in 1988, and encouraged other stars hiding their sexuality to take a brave step and 'get into the sunshine'