Celebrity Response
IM
Ian McKellen
Actor · May 2026 · Aired May 8, 2026
Question set: Current (2022+)
1
What's the best sandwich?
One that I make myself
White bread (not too thick), buttered, mayonnaise on one piece, Marmite on the other, tomatoes with salt and pepper, crusts cut off, cut into three — "you can have one and I'll have two"
2
What was your first concert?
An orchestral concert
"The big orchestras used to tour through our little town in the north of England." Didn't remember the specific orchestra.
3
What is the scariest animal?
Hyena
Noted hyenas are like dogs (which he adores) and are enchanting in the wild with their kids, but a lone hyena with a pack behind would terrify him
4
Apples or oranges?
Oranges
Said you can squeeze an orange for juice; Colbert pointed out you can squeeze an apple too
5
Have you ever asked someone for their autograph?
Yes — the repertory theater actors in Wigan
As a boy in Wigan he queued at the stage door of the local rep company and left his autograph album for the actors to sign — he still has it
6
What do you think happens when we die?
Nothing — total nothingness and total anonymity, same as before I was born
Hopes there'll be a funeral, but his body is left to medical research; afterward bones will be ground down and scattered in the River Thames
7
What's your favorite action movie?
The French Connection
Praised Popeye Doyle and the driving sequences
8
Window or aisle?
Window
Normally window, but now travels first class so it doesn't matter; told a story about giving up his seat on a flight from Chicago and ending up next to one of the most attractive men he'd ever seen — Colbert quipped "Some enchanted evening"
9
What's your favorite smell?
Flowers — roses, freesias, lilac
10
What's your least favorite smell?
Flowers that have been in the vase for a week and smell like death
Said the dying flowers "smell like death" as the water has been absorbed by the stems
11
What is your earliest memory?
Sleeping under a metal table during WWII, woken by the cleaner singing
During WWII, sleeping under a metal table in the back room in case a bomb knocked the house down; woken by the cleaner washing windows and singing "When I'm Cleaning Windows"
12
Cats or dogs?
Dogs
Answered nonverbally to applause and cheering
13
You only get one song to listen to for the rest of your life — what is it?
"I'll Be Seeing You"
Sang a few bars from the song
14
What number am I thinking of?
21
Colbert guessed 21 (for May 21st, the most important number in his life at the moment); McKellen said no
15
Describe the rest of your life in five words.
"Working, playing, eating, playing, working"