Ian McKellen, who has for many years been the most famous openly gay movie star, has attacked Hollywood timidity in depicting minorities onscreen.
McKellen, who had been approached to play Dumbledore in the Harry Potter films, said: “Well, nobody looks to Hollywood for social commentary, do they?
McKellen came out publicly in 1988 and has been an industrious campaigner for equal rights ever since.
He was speaking to promote documentary McKellen: Playing the Part, which screens in cinemas on Sunday, followed by a live Q&A with the actor and Graham Norton.