The Haircut

Due to an accident on stage in June 2024, 85 year old actor Ian McKellen had no choice but to leave mid-way through a West End run of Shakespeare's 'Henry IV, Parts 1 & 2' in which he played the role of scoundrel John Falstaff. This iconic role was one of the few major Shakespearean parts which McKellen had never attempted before, and one which he had waited years to perform, letting his hair and beard grow out for nearly a year in the process. While the production continued in his absence for a further five weeks, McKellen took time to recover at home and waited until the end of the production to finally step out of character. On the 26th of July 2024 after 101 performances on the final day of the play, Ian McKellen was photographed alone at home, receiving the haircut that would allow him to fully recover from John Falstaff.