Ian McKellen on Ronald Harwood's The Dresser, Anthony Hopkins and bringing the magic of theatre to TV

Your character, Norman in Ronald Harwood's The Dresser, seems to hold everybody together. What role do you usually play on a set – are you the entertainer, the organiser?

Usually I am the employee. I am there to do what I am told basically, to follow the script and the director’s suggestions. Well… the entertainer I think, I don’t trust myself to do the organising but I do like a jolly atmosphere. It was very easy with Anthony because he likes a laugh too and so did everybody else involved; Sarah [Lancashire] and Emily [Watson] were always laughing.

Taylor Swift tweeted that you and Patrick Stewart are the ‘ultimate squad goal’. What do you make of the interest your friendship has attracted?

Ultimate squad goal? I don’t know what that means but I am glad the friendship did attract attention; we were two old mates happily working together.

Do you and Patrick feed back on each other’s work? Will he be watching The Dresser?

Patrick has seen The Dresser and has been extremely complimentary about it. Which is kind because I am the man, the only person, who advised him not to take a seven year contract with Star Trek. I think he has forgiven me. Well, he’s proved that I was an idiot!

You’ve spoken in the past about constantly wanting to improve – what’s one thing you learned making The Dresser you feel will help you to do that?

I think it was getting the balance between what is comic, because the play is a comedy and what is pathetic in the sense of upsetting and tragic. You do that by being as honest as possible because the playwright, Ronald Harwood, has done your work for you. You don’t have to compensate for anything, so trust the text.

What did you enjoy about being part of a theatrical production for TV?

Of course plays are usually written to be performed in the theatre, but there are some plays, including The Dresser, which adapt very well to television. There’s no need to go outside the confines of the theatre, you know, there is no need to open it out as you would expect in a film. There is no scenery to be looked at, it’s just the people. So, it was very concentrated. I’m sure we missed the audience’s laughter which we would have got in the theatre but I hope perhaps the reaction to The Dresser, which has been so far entirely positive, will mean that there may be other similar ventures. A lot of very wonderful plays, old and recent, would work very well on television.

Which other actors do you most admire, and why?

Those who work hard and don’t take themselves too seriously and that includes every actor you have ever heard of actually (laughs). Well I do admire Tony Hopkins. I mean he never stops working, I think he’s done three films since we did The Dresser and he throws himself into every venture.

If you could reprise any role you’ve already played, what would it be?

Well, I would like to do King Lear again... I say... If you now told me that I am going to start rehearsing in a month’s time I would probably say “Ooh steady on now!” because it is such a whacking part. Great, great, great plays with large casts are only truly satisfying if every part is wonderfully played. There’s a lot that I felt I could have gone on exploring in King Lear. You never get to the end of these great parts. There’s always a relief when they’re over because they’re very hard work but then some regret that perhaps you could have done better. It’s in that spirit that I would imagine doing King Lear again. And preferably in a small theatre. I think Shakespeare always benefits from having the audience very close. Thank you and good night!

Sir Ian McKellen plays Norman in Ronald Harwood's The Dresser.

The Dresser is broadcast on Saturday, 31 October at 9pm on BBC Two. The show will be available on BBC iPlayer for 30 days after broadcast on TV.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.