In an event for the theatrical charity Acting for Others, Dench, Smith, McKellen and Jacobi spoke about their highs and lows, superstitions and acting tips
They are, according to their pal Kenneth Branagh, the “greatest quartet of Shakespearean actors on the planet”. And on Sunday evening, for the charity get-together One Knight Only, hosted by Branagh on Zoom, Dames Maggie Smith and Judi Dench joined Sirs Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi to share acting anecdotes, tell Christmas cracker jokes and speak a bit of verse. It was pure thespian gold – here’s a handful of revelations.
Ian McKellen shared the stage with a ghost …
At least, that’s what Patrick Stewart told him. When they were midway through Waiting for Godot at the Theatre Royal Haymarket 10 years ago, Stewart turned to look at McKellen and “his face was ashen and he stopped acting”, remembered McKellen. “He said afterwards he had seen a man standing next to me in a brown overall jacket.” They decided it was a deceased stage manager. Apparently, Stewart often sees ghosts and before he does he always smells bacon. (Perhaps it’s ham, suggests Dench.)
