Скачать или смотреть Sir Ian McKellen's Decades-Long Battle to Perfect Gandalf | Acting Breakdown

Ian McKellen’s performance as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit is legendary, but the story behind how he created the character and the difficulties he faced along the way is far more complex, emotional, and fascinating than you might realize. This video essay explores how Ian McKellen became Gandalf, the acting methods he used, the challenges of filming, and why, even at 86 years old, he still feels drawn to the role.

From the early casting process on The Lord of the Rings to the overwhelming green-screen isolation he endured on The Hobbit, McKellen’s journey as Gandalf spans decades of creativity, collaboration, weariness, humor, and deep affection for Middle-earth. We look at how he shaped the voice of Gandalf, how Tolkien himself influenced the character, the physical transformation in makeup and costume, and the emotional challenges of filming scenes out of sequence, switching between Gandalf the Grey and Gandalf the White, and acting alone due to scale tricks and CGI.

We also explore McKellen’s collaborations with Peter Jackson, Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Hugo Weaving, and Cate Blanchett, as well as his thoughts on Gandalf’s personality, motivations, and the famous props he meticulously used, including his staff and pipe. Finally, we examine why Gandalf remains so meaningful to McKellen and why he continues to return to Middle-earth after all these years.

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0:00 - Intro
3:32 - Casting
4:56 - Timing Issues
6:51 - Preparing for Gandalf
10:15 - Shooting Out of Sequence
11:20 - Grey vs. White
13:48 - Playing Gandalf: The Little Things
15:21 - Problems with Scale
20:43 - Problems with CGI
22:37 - Wrapping on 'LOTR'
23:39 - Returning for 'The Hobbit'
25:37 - More Problems with Scale
26:41 - Green Screen Purgatory
30:02 - Making Things Easier
32:05 - The Good Times
33:21 - Wrapping on 'The Hobbit'
34:26 - Returning for 'The Hunt for Gollum'
35:16 - Legacy