An encounter with Sir Ian McKellen

Yes... we saw him up close and personal.

It all began with a Guest Night at the Honourable Society of Inner Temple. I was a guest of my housemate, Jin. During the drinks session prior to dining, we were already shocked and stunned when we see Sir McKellen standing among the crowd, talking and socialising just like any other ordinary member of the Inn.

(In case if you don't know, Sir Ian McKellen is the one who acted as Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and as Magneto in the X-Men series)

Alright, dining begins. I spotted the seat of the Treasurer of the Inn, and I presume that Sir McKellen will be sitting next to or close to him. Hence, I chose a strategic seat where I can see him directly without any obstruction. And yes, I did.

He was the limelight of the night. All of us were intermittently looking at him and he of course realised that. He smiled to me, and then to Jason.

my view of him for the whole night:



After dinner, he was invited by the Treasurer to give a speech and he spontaneously acted shortly for a Shakespeare play that he was doing at the moment. His acting was absolutely breathtaking and a rounded applause proved how enthralled everyone present at the dining hall were.

After dining, we made our way towards him and gave him our sincere compliments and admiration. Whilst shaking his hand, I told him it was a great opportunity to see him in person there, and that I admired his acting very much. He was very nice, he thank us and told us he just came back from Singapore for the William Shakespeare play. However, he politely refused Jin when Jin asked for a photo. I cannot remembered what he said, but he simply meant that he was not in a good shape that night (indeed, his hair was kinda messy). He hugged Jin tightly and said: You can remember me by looking at me closely, this is the photograph (or words to that effect) and he stared at her closely. Jin was so shy and happy, haha...


Later on, he made his way back to the dining hall after going outdoors for a smoke. And as he walked pass us, he instinctively squeezed Jason's cheeks with his both hands and simultaneously said goodbye to us. Jason was quite taken aback at what he did as it was so unexpected (and he was so happy about it after that). Who would expect a huge film star to have acted in that manner?

Eventually, this is what we are 'rewarded':

Jason: a tight squeeze by Sir on the cheek (probably because Jason's face is meaty)
Jin: a tight hug by him, and get stared by him closely into the eyes.
Me: a handshake for approx. 6 seconds
Kimberly: an autograph






It was a good night at the Inner Temple. Good food, food atmosphere, good harp performances, and a great chance to see Sir Ian in person. Cheers to Sir!