Many actors have delivered memorable moments in acceptance speeches, but few of them involved performing Shakespearean soliloquies. But Sir Ian McKellen decided to turn to the Bard at this year’s TrevorLIVE New York, an annual event celebrating the Trevor Project. After being presented with the 2015 Trevor Project Hero Award for his activism in the LGBT community, McKellen delivered a moving acceptance speech in which he explained, “There are dark corners where it’s not easy to be yourself. And anyone who’s ever been though the painful, but in the end glorious, experience of coming out – because it’s the best thing you ever do – can sympathize with people in that situation.”
But then the thespian put down his mic, walked out into the audience, and proceeded to perform a soliloquy from Sir Thomas More in which the title character rebukes rioters who are lashing out at foreign asylum seekers.
It’s probably the most Ian McKellen thing Ian McKellen has ever done. You can watch the fantastic performance right here.
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