![]() ![]() Gandalf is a divine spirit clothed in a mortal form. Is Gandalf human? Can anyone be a wizard? Read on for everything you were always afraid to ask about everyone’s favorite weed-smoking magic grandpa. I can provide answers to all these questions, because I’m a giant Middle-earth nerd who thinks The Silmarillion is a more enjoyable read than The Lord of the Rings, and pillaged Tolkien’s Unfinished Tales to enhance the accuracy of my own Lord of the Rings Twitter account. Is he, like, human, or what? What happened when he died? What’s the difference between Grey and White? What can wizards do, anyway? And who appointed Saruman president of wizards? ![]() But his role in the movies is still full of ambiguity. The real power of McKellen’s performance is that you believe wholeheartedly in Gandalf. Gandalf, the wise, mercurial, mysterious, and occasionally terrifying wizard is arguably more the face of the Lord of the Rings franchise than Frodo, its hero, or Aragorn, its long-lost king. ![]() The lack of an origin story didn’t stop audiences from falling in love with Ian McKellen’s Gandalf, who studied Tolkien himself in perfecting his award-winning performance, fixing himself in the hearts of millions of fans. Movies and books are different beasts, and the former can only support so much exposition. So each Wednesday throughout the year, we'll go there and back again, examining how and why the films have endured as modern classics. 2021 marks The Lord of the Rings movies' 20th anniversary, and we couldn't imagine exploring the trilogy in just one story. ![]()
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