Ian McKellen is opening up about experiencing “agonizing” pain after he fell offstage during his performance in “Player Kings” at the Noel Coward Theatre in London.
The longtime actor was playing John Falstaff when he unexpectedly tumbled during a battle scene on June 17. He sustained multiple injuries during the incident, including a chipped vertebrae and fractured wrist.
“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,” McKellen, 85, told Saga magazine in a story published Tuesday.
The “Lord of the Rings” alum admitted the repercussions of the plummet would have been far worse had it not been for his character’s fat suit he was sporting.
“But the fat suit I wore for Falstaff saved my ribs and other joints, so I consider myself lucky,” he explained.
McKellen then got candid about the emotional impact losing his footing at the show had on him.
“I’ve relived that fall countless times. It was horrible,” the English actor added. “I thought it was the end of something. It was very upsetting. The end didn’t mean my death, but it felt like the end of my participation in the play.”
While the theater issued a statement following the fall that appeared to indicate McKellen was on the mend and could return to his role, the “X-Men” leading man was later forced to forfeit performing in the show’s last three performances from June 20-22.
“Player Kings” eventually resumed with actor Devid Semark in the role of Falstaff.
Directed by Robert Icke, “Player Kings,” a mashup of Shakespeare’s plays, “Henry IV” Parts 1 and 2, first began its 12-week run in April.
“Thank you to our audience and the general public for their well wishes following Ian’s fall during this evening’s performance of ‘Player Kings,’” a representative of the theater said in a statement at the time, according to Variety. “Following a scan, the brilliant NHS team have assured us that he will make a speedy and full recovery and Ian is in good spirits.”
McKellen’s fans on X, formerly Twitter, sent the “Hobbit” star well wishes on social media at the time.