You Shall Not Pass: Ian McKellen prefers, of course, a life out of the closet. But while he was a young actor, the Lord of the Rings and X-Men alum says that his hidden homosexuality have helped his career: “I think that’s why so many great British actors are gay – we spent so long pretending to be straight, to be someone else, that eventually we became very good at it.” For more, click the link below.