When I've been asked what should be on my gravestone, I've said: 'Here lies Gandalf. He came out.' Two big achievements.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Gandalf saves the world and saves the soul of the world, really.
Gandalf is ever-present in my life. I like it.
I'm fortunate to be famous for two rather imposing characters like Magneto and Gandalf.
Gandalf's a good guy, and it's a good part. He says the right things, he believes the right things. An actor can have fun with it.
When I was playing Gandalf, I didn't think, 'Oh my dear, I'm playing a 7,000 year old wizard,' because I've never met one, and I don't know what they're like.
Gandalf is in Middle-earth to keep an eye on everybody, and that can be a rather serious matter.
Without Merlin, there would be no Gandalf, so I see them as the same thing, one a continuation of the other.
I especially remember that on All Souls Day, when so many people wanted new monuments for the graves, our whole family pitched in. I did the lettering on the stones, my brother did the carving, and my sisters put the finishing touches on them, the gold leaf and all that.
Will I miss Gandalf? Well, I don't miss him, because people are constantly coming up to me mentioning him and talking about him, so I don't feel that I've lost contact.
There are people who've enjoyed my work in the theater, and they let me know that it was special for them. I'm not going to say, 'Well, you should have seen me as Gandalf!'