- Sir Ian McKellen has said he drew unexpected inspiration from US President Donald Trump while shooting the new Avengers film.
- He appeared at an open-air film event
- During the event, he spoke about his upcoming Marvel film, Avengers: Doomsday and also shared his views on Tr
Veteran stage and screen actor Sir Ian McKellen has said he drew unexpected inspiration from US President Donald Trump while shooting the new Avengers film.
The 87-year-old appeared at an open-air film event "Cinema in Piazza" in Rome, where around 2,000 fans gathered. During the event, he spoke about his upcoming Marvel film, Avengers: Doomsday and also shared his views on Trump.
He described filming a dramatic scene in which his character Magneto, uses his powers to cause destruction. He said director duo Anthony and Joe Russo gave him a specific instruction to make the scene more intense and, at one point, told him to "destroy New Jersey".
He said the directors wanted him to look extremely furious, telling him to act like he deeply hated what he was destroying. To which he shouted, "Mar-a-Lago," which is the name of Donald Trump's Florida estate.
"Make it look as if you hate what you're destroying.' So I stood there and I shouted Mar-a-Lago!," he told the crowd.
McKellen has been openly critical of Trump in the past. In 2024, before Trump's second presidency, he described him as "an absolute bewilderment" and also called him one of the worst public speakers he had seen.
"I haven't seen him [Trump] live, but he's one of the worst public speakers there has ever been. Whether he's reading a script or not, it's so patent what he is," he said.
McKellen is known for playing iconic roles like Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings movies and Magneto in the X-Men series. In the upcoming Marvel film Avengers: Doomsday, which is set to hit the theatres on December 18, he is returning again as Magneto.
This superhero crossover features several major Hollywood stars like Robert Downey Jr, Pedro Pascal, Chris Hemsworth, Paul Rudd, and Florence Pugh. It is directed by the Russo brothers, who also helmed Avengers: Endgame.