You might think you already have a fairly good grasp on Ian McKellen’s acting process: Imagine what it would be like to be a wizard, pretend to be that wizard, and stand wherever someone tells you to. However, the new documentary McKellen: Playing the Part promises to dig even deeper into the Lord of the Rings star’s acting method. Director Joe Stephenson culled the feature-length doc from 14 hours of interviews, in addition to using archival materials from the actor’s early career, McKellen’s personal photographs and film, and, most intriguingly, “cinematically reconstructed scenes from his life,” a tantalizing prospect that suggests Sir Ian McKellen might be at some point be portraying Sir Ian McKellen. Truly, it’s the role he was born to play.
