Sir Ian McKellen reveals warning he gave Patrick Stewart before Star Trek

Sir Ian McKellen has revealed he once warned close friend Sir Patrick Stewart against taking the role that would make him a global superstar.

The veteran actor recalled urging Stewart to think twice about joining Star Trek, as he led tributes following his friend’s death aged 86.

Sir Patrick, best known as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men films, died at his Los Angeles home on Wednesday.

McKellen said one of his strongest memories was trying to persuade the acclaimed Shakespearean actor not to risk his stage career by heading to Hollywood.

He recalled telling him: “But Patrick, think of your stage career in the UK. Do you really want to risk getting lost in Hollywood for years and years?”

Sir Patrick ignored the advice and took command of the USS Enterprise in 1987, playing Picard for seven seasons before returning to the role in films and, decades later, Star Trek: Picard.

McKellen admitted: “Well, he took the risk and thank goodness for us all that he did.”

The pair later became close friends and co-stars, appearing together as Professor X and Magneto in the X-Men films and sharing the stage in productions including Waiting for Godot.

McKellen said Stewart remained fiercely proud of his Yorkshire roots despite becoming one of Britain’s biggest international stars.

He described him as a man of “stern honesty” who “wore his heart on his sleeve”, adding that he was “the most respected and beloved actor of his generation”.

Tributes have poured in from across film, television and theatre.

Dame Harriet Walter said losing him was “like a huge giant tree has fallen in the forest”, while Hugh Jackman described Stewart as “one of the greats of stage and screen”.

But one of the more unexpected tributes came from Star Trek co-star LeVar Burton, who described Stewart simply as “family”.

Burton added: “Of all the Dames and Knights I’ve known he was deep down the silliest.”

William Shatner said Stewart had brought “intelligence, grace, and a deep sense of humanity” to everything he did, adding: “Captain Picard stood for the best of us, and so did the man who played him.”

Huddersfield Town, the club Stewart supported throughout his life, also paid tribute to the Mirfield-born star.

The club said he had been “a Terrier in every sense”, signing off its message: “Once a Terrier, always a Terrier.”

Sir Patrick’s final film appearance is due to come in Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday, alongside McKellen.