Ian McKellen planning to take rest of year off after stage fall

Ian McKellen is planning to take the rest of the year off work to recover from his nasty fall.

The 85-year-old fell from the stage of London's Noël Coward Theatre during a performance of Player Kings in June, and he was forced to drop out of the U.K. tour to allow him to recover from his wrist and neck injuries.

In an interview with the Big Issue magazine, The Lord of the Rings actor revealed he has decided to take the rest of 2024 off.

"I'm usually working or preparing to work, I've been doing a little bit of that, wondering what might be the best plan. I'm going to take the rest of the year off. Not because I need to, just because I want to," he shared.

In a separate interview with BBC Breakfast, the veteran actor insisted he has no plans to retire from the business.

"I shall just keep at it as long as the legs and the lungs and the mind keep working," he stated.

McKellen's foot got caught in a chair during a fight scene and he lost his balance, falling off the stage. He was replaced by his understudy David Semark for the remaining London performances and the U.K. tour.

He insisted the incident was "an accident" and revealed he was doing exercises to become stronger again.

"I'm left feeling weak physically, which I'm doing exercises for," McKellen told the Big Issue. "And, of course, it's emotional. We all trip all our lives, it's just when you get to my age you can't always get up again."

Despite his desire to take the rest of the year off, the actor is currently doing select interviews to promote his new movie, The Critic, which will be released in U.K. cinemas on 13 September.