It's been over 80 years since J.R.R. Tolkien published his first book set in Middle Earth, and to this day the fantasy franchise is still going strong, as shows like Amazon's The Rings of Power series is considered a big win for the streamer and the original movies are still watched by the masses. But when one fan decided to dress up as Gandalf the Grey on a pub crawl in West England, he had no idea he’d actually bump into the famed actor who played him in multiple Lord of the Rings movies, Sir Ian McKellen.
Last week, one TikTok user shared a wild video of their friend meeting Ian McKellan while dressed up as his most famous character while out for a Lord of the Rings-themed birthday. Check it:
@.scarletlearmonth ♬ Originalton - Suneysounds
Talk about the best birthday present ever for 22-year-old Ben Coyles, who was the one in the video dressed as Gandalf! It reminds us of the time Gandalf made his way to Hobbiton to be part of Bilbo Baggins 111th birthday at the top of the first of the Lord of the Rings movies, Fellowship of the Ring.
Following the TikTok video wracking up hundreds of thousands of likes, his friends shared with the Lancashire Telegraph about how the moment occurred. In Felix Spencer’s words:
We were on the penultimate pub on the pub crawl and, as we’re walking there, someone comes up behind me and asks if he’d like our Gandalf to meet the real Gandalf. I assumed it was someone just joking around but when I turn around to talk to him he gestures towards his friend. It takes me a while to realise at first but then I see that it is in fact Ian McKellen. I only spoke to him briefly but he was very polite and kind and definitely excited to see that people were dressing up as characters from a film he really enjoyed making.
Imagine Ian McKellan’s surprise to just be going about his evening only to see a group of people passing by dressed up as Lord of the Rings characters at the same time. McKellan certainly could have kept walking and not brought attention to himself, but it sounds like he sweetly asked if the birthday boy wanted to meet him, clearly seeing he was fan, and then the sweet TikTok exchange occurred.
Scarlet Learmonth, who posted the viral video also spoke about witnessing the sweet exchange. As she shared:
I am so unbelievably happy for Ben and to be part of this exciting occurrence. I posted the video just to share with my friends, with no expectations… I never anticipated the extent of attention but I am just so pleased to be able to share such a magical experience.
Learmonth also told the outlet that her friend especially deserved the unexpected fan moment because he and his girlfriend have been raising money for MND and ME, a charity that supports people with Motor Neurone Disease. You never know who you’ll meet on the street I guess, for both parties involved, what an absolutely ridiculous, but awesome roll of fate.
The story definitely makes one want to relive the Lord of the Rings franchise, which is currently streaming for those with an HBO Max subscription. And while you’re at it, read the perspective of the movies from a CinemaBlend writer who watched the LOTR films for the first time. Fans of Tolkien’s fantasy series can also look forward to upcoming Lord of the Rings movies from Warner Bros, which Elijah Wood has some thoughts on, as well as Season 2 of Rings of Power.
