Sir Ian McKellen gave his best friend and fellow knight Sir Patrick Stewart a gift fit for a true thespian in honor of his 80th birthday on Monday.
With the help of Stewart’s wife Sunny Ozell, McKellan recorded a video of himself reading “Sonnet 81” by Shakespeare as part of Stewart’s #ASonnetADay project. Stewart then shared the clip on his Twitter account writing, “Sunny and my team took over for my birthday, and arranged this gift for today’s reading: Sonnet 81 by @IanMcKellen. Thank you, dear Ian.”
This video is the latest installment in an ongoing series Stewart started back in March in which he attempts to read one Shakespearean sonnet a day for every day of the coronavirus pandemic.
McKellan concluded his reading with a special message for his close pal, saying, “A very happy birthday, dear Patrick. Lots of love, Ian.”
The X-Men costars and old friends have never been shy about their love for one another, regularly kissing on the mouth on red carpets. During an interview with Conan O’Brien in 2015, Stewart explained that he regularly smooches all of his friends as a peck on the lips, the perfect way to instantly establish an emotional connection. To prove his point, Stewart kissed O’Brien, prompting the late-night host to gush, “That was fantastic!”
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