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Ian McKellen: 'Learning Lines Is Harder As I Get Older... Age Should Come With A Health Warning'

Sir Ian Admits He's Finding It Harder To Memorise His Lines
Daniel Welsh
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Sir Ian McKellen has admitted that as he gets older, he finds it more difficult to remember lines for new roles.

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The acting veteran - who is currently starring as an elderly Sherlock Holmes, in new film ‘Mr. Holmes’ - has joked that “age should come with a health warning”, after confessing he’s finding it increasingly harder to memorise his lines.

Speaking to Radio Times, he explains: “When I was a young man, people would ask how I remembered my lines, and I’d think, ‘That’s the easy part!’

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Sir Ian McKellen

“Well, these days it’s one of the problems," he continues. “There are times in a life when the memory really does get worse and the mind doesn’t work as it should.

"And if you were to get to the stage where you couldn’t remember anything at all, well, that would be very distressing. Fortunately, I’m not there yet.”

He goes on to say that it took him six months to learn all of his lines for ‘The Dresser’, an upcoming two-hour drama, where he stars opposite Anthony Hopkins.

“All your life you bump into old people,” Sir Ian reveals. “First it’s your grandparents, and then your parents turn into old people. But you never think you’re going to be one of them.”

But he isn’t the only acting legend to admit that he’s finding it harder to learn lines as he gets older.

Michael Gambon recently announced that he was retiring from stage acting due to his memory not being what it once was, confessing that the decision “broke his heart”, while Dame Judi Dench has also spoken about the difficulty she is met with when trying to learn her lines.

'Lord Of The Rings': Where Are They Now?
Elijah Wood starred as Frodo Baggins... (01 of40)
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Elijah reprised his role for just a handful of scenes in 'The Hobbit' trilogy.In the years since first donning his hobbit feet and setting off on the quest across Middle Earth, Elijah's been very busy, starring in a number of movies including 'Happy Feet', 'Green Street' and 'Sin City'. (credit:Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)
Hugo Weaving starred as Lord Elrond...(03 of40)
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Hugo appeared as Elrond in the first and final 'The Hobbit' films. He currently has a number of films in post-production, including 'The Dressmaker' and 'Strangerland'. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Viggo Mortensen starred as Aragorn... (05 of40)
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After stealing Arwen's heart - and ours - as Aragorn, Viggo appeared in movies such as 'Everybody Has A Plan' and 'The Road'. Sadly, he turned 'The Hobbit' down. Will Viggo ever grow his hair long and sport a beard again? There is always hope. (credit:Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Sean Astin starred as Samwise Gamgee...(07 of40)
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Let's be honest - Sam is the true hero of 'Lord Of The Rings', isn't he? Sean Astin has been pretty busy in recent years, completing multiple acting and directing jobs as well as running three marathons in 2013 and founding a politics podcast. (credit:Arnold Turner/Invision/AP)
Miranda Otto starred as Eowyn...(09 of40)
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Aussie actress Miranda has scored a number of small roles since her character dramatically (SPOILER ALERT!) slayed the Witch-King of Angmar. Her TV credits include 'Cashmere Mafia', 'The Starter Wife' and, most recently, 'Rake'. Eagle-eyed fans will have also spotted her playing Tom Cruise's ex-wife in 'War Of The Worlds'. (credit:Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
Sean Bean starred as Boromir... (11 of40)
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Sean's extensive list of credits include roles in 'Game Of Thrones', 'Missing' and 'The Hitcher'.Like all of the other members of The Fellowship - apart from John Rhys-Davies - Sean has a tattoo of the number nine, written in Tolkien's script Tengwar, on his shoulder. (credit:Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Billy Boyd starred as Peregrin 'Pippin' Took...(13 of40)
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While Perry doesn't appear in 'The Hobbit' films, Billy scored a rather important role and sings the track 'The Last Goodbye' which serves as a bridge between Jackson's two trilogies. As well as creating his own movie, 'Glenn, The Flying Robot', Billy has trod the boards in 'Macbeth'. (credit:Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)
Orlando Bloom starred as Legolas... (15 of40)
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Orlando's fans rejoiced when Peter Jackson shoehorned Legolas into 'The Hobbit' trilogy, but that's not all the actor's been up to since wrapping up on 'LoTR'. He's also fathered a child, starred in films such as 'The Three Musketeers' and sort of punched Justin Bieber in Ibiza. Yes, really. (credit:Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)
John Noble starred as Denethor...(17 of40)
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Aussie actor John has also directed over 80 plays. He also recently staged a mini-'LoTR' reunion wth Hugo Weaving, when they stared together in the movie 'The Mule'. (credit:John Shearer/Invision/AP)
Ian Holm starred as Bilbo Baggins...(19 of40)
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Long before playing Bilbo in the first 'LoTR' film, Ian played Frodo Baggins in a BBC Radio adaptation of the books. While many of the stars of the franchise were just starting out, Ian was already a veteran actor while he played Bilbo, having acted in over 100 plays for the Royal Shakespeare Company. His return in 'The Hobbit' is one of just a handful of credits post-2003. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Cate Blanchett starred as Lady Galadriel... (21 of40)
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Cate Blanchett attends the Comic-Con "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" press line on Day 3 of Comic-Con on Saturday, July 26, 2014, in San Diego. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP) (credit:Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
Karl Urban starred as Eomer... (23 of40)
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New Zealand actor Karl starred in the 'Star Trek' movies and also appered in 13 episodes of 'Almost Human', playing Detective John Kennex. (credit:Barry Brecheisen/Invision/AP)
Andy Serkis starred as Gollum...(25 of40)
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Andy's work as Gollum saw him venture into uncharted territory, exploring and creating totally new filming techniques. As well as reprising the role, he also worked on 'The Hobbit' trilogy as the second unit Director. He currently runs his own studio, The Imaginarium, where he continues to pioneer CGI technology. (credit:Eric Jamison/Invision/AP)
Christopher Lee starred as Saruman...(27 of40)
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We don't need to tell you about the many films this legendary actor has starred in, surely? When he's not busy in front of the camera, he can sometimes be found recording heavy metal Christmas tracks. Yes, seriously. (credit:Marechal Aurore/ABACA)
John Rhys-Davies starred as Gimli...(29 of40)
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John spends an awful lot of time surprising people, as while he's famed for playing the dwarf, he's actually 6 foot tall. He's been extremely busy since 'The Return Of The King', starring in over 20 movies, including '100 Degrees Below Zero' and um, 'The Princess Diaries 2'. (credit:WENN)
Liv Tyler starred as Arwen... (31 of40)
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Liv's just stunning, isn't she? In 2008, she scooped awards for her role in 'The Strangers' and in September 2014, announced that she's expecting her second child. (credit:Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
David Wenham starred as Faramir... (33 of40)
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David's credits include the hit series 'Top Of The Lake' and '300'. (credit:Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
Dominic Monaghan starred as Meriadoc 'Merry' Brandybuck...(35 of40)
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MERRY!Dominic has continued to star in hit films but he's also popped up in a few unexpected places. He makes an appearance in Eminem's 'Love The Way You Lie' music video and also appeared in video teasers for a 2012 science fiction video game. (credit:Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
Bernard Hill starred as King Theoden...(37 of40)
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Bernard recently finished filming the TV adaptation of Hilary Mantel's novel 'Wolf Hall'. (credit:Gareth Cattermole via Getty Images)
Sir Ian McKellen starred as Gandalf...(39 of40)
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Ian McKellen...? Nope, never heard of him. (credit:Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)

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