Ian McKellen slams 'homophobic' Hollywood

The high-profile gay actor feels Hollywood's old-fashioned ideologies make it extremely difficult for gay stars to come out.

Actor Sir Ian McKellen has attacked Hollywood's continuing homophobic attitude towards gay stars.

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According to Contactmusic.com, McKellen is one of the most high profile openly gay actors. He said the industry's old-fashioned ideologies make it extremely difficult for homosexual stars to come out.

He praised the Oscar-nominated gay cowboy love story Brokeback Mountain for its gay theme, but insists Hollywood needs to examine its views on sexual equality and also learn from the more open-minded attitudes on Broadway in New York.

McKellen spoke at the Berlin Film Festival where he received a lifetime achievement award. He said: "The film industry is very old fashioned in California. It is very, very, very difficult for an American actor, who wants a film career, to be open about his sexuality. And, even more difficult for a woman if she is lesbian. It is very distressing to me that that should be the case. It is not true of actors on the other side of the American continent, on Broadway, where people are very at ease with being open and honest."