When Sir Ian McKellen performed the first same-sex kiss on British TV in the 1970 BBC production of Christopher Marlowe’s Edward II, he was not yet out. In fact, it would be another 18 years before the Lord Of The Rings icon would come out as gay.

The Lord of the Rings star sat down with The Times London to discuss his experiences playing some of the most influential queer roles in British theatre over the years. In case you didn’t know, Ian publicly came out during a BBC radio interview at 48 years old in 1988 — a whole 25 years before gay marriage was legalized in the UK.

Sir Ian McKellen has some words of wisdom for his fellow actors. The “Lord of the Rings” star, who famously came out of the closet in 1988, encouraged other LGBTQ+ members of the acting community to open up and reveal their own sexual identities.