Global Treasure Ian McKellen Saved By a Fat Suit

By Emma Chance | Celebrity | August 21, 2024 |

By Emma Chance | Celebrity | August 21, 2024 |

Fat suits get a lot of flack, and for good reason. “Fatness isn’t exactly accepted by society at large but it’s certainly not welcomed in the entertainment industry,” writes my colleague Kayleigh Donaldson, and yet, “Actors’
physical transformations for certain roles have long been fetishized as the utmost form of dedication to their craft.” But we can’t all be Christian Bale, growing and shrinking our bodies on a whim, so those who can’t gain the weight for real cover themselves in silicone and plastic and win Oscars.

But if it weren’t for a fat suit, Sir Ian McKellen might have a few broken ribs right now. He says he’s been in “agonizing” pain since he fell from the stage during a performance of Player Kings in London this June. Playing John Falstaff, he slipped and fell into the front row of the audience during a fight scene, chipping his vertebrae and fracturing his wrist, injuries that he says “are not yet healed.”

“I avoid going out because I’m nervous someone might bump into me, and I’ve been dealing with agonizing pain in my shoulders due to the jolt my body took,” he says. “But the fat suit I wore for Falstaff saved my ribs and other joints, so I consider myself lucky.”

While the incident brought his tenure as Falstaff to an end, he says he has to remind himself it isn’t the end of his career.

“I have to keep telling myself I’m not too old to act. It was just a bloody accident,” he said.

You’ll never be too old, Sir Ian. As long as the fat suit fits, wear it. It’s already saved your life once.