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If anyone鈥檚 ever wondered who the bigger queer icon was between Gandalf/Magneto and Obi-Wan Kenobi, well, that question鈥檚 been pretty firmly settled this week. In a new interview with Sir Ian McKellen, the legendary actor revealed that fellow screen icon Sir Alec Guinness once urged him to stop participating in gay rights activism during the 1970s.

McKellen shared the story while answering a fan question in a reader Q&A story about the 鈥渨orst piece of advice鈥� he had ever received.

The actor recalled that after a 1979 performance of Bent 鈥� the groundbreaking play about the persecution of gay men in Nazi Germany 鈥� Guinness visited him backstage.

鈥淎lec Guinness sat rather primly in my dressing room, enthusing about the play before inviting me out to supper,鈥� McKellen said.

While McKellen initially declined the invitation, the pair later met for lunch years afterward, where Guinness raised concerns about McKellen鈥檚 activism work.

鈥淗e had heard about my work to establish Stonewall 鈥� a lobby group to present to the government and the world at large the case for treating UK lesbians and gays equally under the law with the rest of the population,鈥� McKellen wrote.

鈥淗e thought it somewhat unseemly for an actor to dabble in public or political affairs and advised me, sort of pleaded with me, to withdraw.鈥�

鈥淎dvice from an older generation, which I didn鈥檛 follow.鈥�

The comments have sparked conversation online not only because of Guinness鈥� status as one of Britain鈥檚 most beloved actors, but also because of the longstanding speculation and discussion surrounding his own sexuality.

Guinness, best known globally for portraying Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars, was married to actress Merula Salaman for decades, but biographers and historians have previously discussed his relationships with men and what has often been described as bisexuality.

McKellen himself referenced that history in the interview, noting he had recently watched Two Halves of Guinness, a stage production that 鈥渉ints at Sir Alec鈥檚 latent bisexuality in a way that would have upset him, I suppose鈥�.

For many 17c起草社区IA+ people, McKellen鈥檚 refusal to step away from activism has become one of the defining aspects of his legacy.

The actor publicly came out as gay in 1988 while opposing Section 28 鈥� the notorious UK law banning the 鈥減romotion鈥� of homosexuality 鈥� and has spent decades campaigning for 17c起草社区IA+ equality alongside his acting career.

He later co-founded Stonewall, which went on to become one of the United Kingdom鈥檚 most influential 17c起草社区IA+ advocacy organisations.

And judging by this latest story, we’re very thankful he ignored that lunch advice! Be mindful of your thoughts, Obi-Wan, they betray you.