MOVIE NEWS – Legendary actor Sir Ian McKellen suffered a broken wrist during a fight scene, similar to previous injuries in the same scene.

Sir Ian McKellen is on the mend after the 85-year-old actor suffered a “shocking” fall during a recent performance in London. During her recovery, she took time to thank those who sent her kind words and the National Health Service (NHS) staff who cared for her. McKellen was playing John Falstaff on stage when an incident occurred during a performance of Player Kings at the Noël Coward Theater in the West End. During this, McKellen fell off the stage during a fight scene. The Lord of the Rings actor was said to be in good spirits following the incident and was reportedly promised a “speedy and full recovery”.

McKellen posted a big thank you to his nearly 4 million followers on X (formerly Twitter) who sent him words of encouragement in the hours after his fall.

He also thanked NHS workers, whom he said were “hugely indebted.” Check out his post at the end of the article, where the actor also writes, “Looking forward to returning to work.”

As mentioned, the accident happened during a fight scene in Player Kings, which is based on Shakespeare’s IV. It combines parts 1 and 2 of Henrik in one frenzied event, written and directed by Robert Icke. McKellen reportedly suffered a broken wrist. Theatregoers were shocked by the incident. Some reportedly “broke down in tears” after witnessing the crash.

Other actors have been injured before in the same scene as Sir Ian McKellen

Sir Ian McKellen took over the role of John Falstaff in Player Kings in April. According to his former stand-in, David Weston, this isn’t the first time someone has been injured on set. According to The Independent, in his book “Covering McKellen: An Understudy’s Tale,” Weston wrote about the time actor Tony Britton suffered from a cut to the head, and later mentioned his own unfortunate accident during a performance.

Given that Player Kings IV. In the recently updated versions of Henry II and II, leading up to the Battle of Shrewsbury, Weston can only refer to scenes from the original plays that were apparently incorporated into Robert Icke’s reworking.

Regardless, we here at theGeek are happy to hear that Sir Ian McKellen is on the mend and continue to wish him a speedy recovery.

Source: X, The Independent

I want to thank everyone for their kind messages and support. Since the accident, during a performance of Player Kings last night, my injuries have been diagnosed and treated by a series of experts, specialists and nurses working for the National Health Service. To them, of…

— Ian McKellen (@IanMcKellen) June 18, 2024