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Sir Ian McKellen talks about the psychological effects of his 'horrific' fall during a performance.
Ian McKellen recently told Saga Magazine (via The Standard ) that he was in "agonizing" pain following his fall in June during a performance of "Player Kings" at London's Noel Coward Theatre. The actor was playing John Falstaff when he fell off stage during a fight scene. McKellen tripped over a newspaper and fell into the front row of the audience, fracturing his vertebrae and breaking his wrist in the incident. Those injuries "have not yet healed."
"I avoid going out because I'm afraid of someone bumping into me, and I have terrible pain in my shoulders from the shock my body took," McKellen said. "But the thick suit I wore for Falstaff saved my ribs and other joints, so I consider myself lucky."
“I relived that fall countless times. It was horrible,” he continued. “I thought it was the end of something. It was very upsetting. The end didn’t mean my death, but it felt like the end of my participation in the play.”
