McKellen speaks of love for Patrick Stewart in heartbreaking tribute to longtime friend

A tribute to Stewart’s roots

In an Instagram post Wednesday, McKellen remembered Stewart as a proud Yorkshireman whose accent and frankness reflected his origins. He said Stewart was someone people could rely on and admire, adding that he loved him.

McKellen also highlighted Stewart’s appointment as chancellor of the University of Huddersfield, describing it as a source of particular pride. Stewart made America his adopted home and married Sunny Ozell, whom McKellen said cared for him through illness and health.

A friendship across decades

The two actors first met as young performers with the Royal Shakespeare Company about half a century ago. McKellen recalled seeing Stewart in central London a few years later, when Stewart told him about an offer to take a leading role in “Star Trek.” They later worked together in the “X-Men” films, playing Professor Charles Xavier and Magneto. Stewart said in a 2020 interview that adjoining trailers gave them time to talk, drink tea and get to know each other.

Careers on stage and screen

Stewart appeared in “Star Trek” and a series of “X-Men” films, as well as classical plays by Shakespeare, Ibsen, Arthur Miller, Peter Shaffer, Pinter and Beckett. McKellen praised his ability to use international fame to reach film and theatre audiences.

The pair are also set to appear in “Avengers: Doomsday” in December, which the story describes as Stewart’s final on-screen appearance. Stewart and McKellen also shared a stage-era friendship, and McKellen officiated at Stewart’s 2013 wedding to Ozell.

Different views on Star Trek

In Stewart’s 2023 memoir, “Making It So,” he wrote that McKellen tried to stop him from accepting the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” Stewart recalled that McKellen warned him against turning away from theatre for television. Stewart said he believed he could return to theatre later in his career. The article ends mid-sentence while describing his view that the American television offer might not come again.