Man dressed as Gandalf for birthday night out has magical chance encounter with LOTR star Ian McKellen
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A man who dressed up as Gandalf for a very special occasion seems to have unearthed some wizardly powers of his own.
British student Ben Coyles was decked out as Sir Ian McKellen's character from The Lord of the Rings during his birthday pub crawl when he got the ultimate surprise: a chance encounter with none other than McKellen himself.
The magical meetup, which looks like it was plucked right out of a Tolkien adventure, took place in Bristol, England, last week and his pals documented it on TikTok.
The legendary performer was in town for a stop on his tour of the theatrical production of the pantomime Mother Goose.
"So, it was really bizarre. It was my 22nd birthday, and we were on a pub crawl," Coyles recalled in an interview with The Lancashire Telegraph. "Me and all my mates were walking down the street and I heard behind me, 'Do you want to meet the real Gandalf?' I didn't recognize him immediately, then I was like, 'Oh my God, it's Sir Ian McKellen!'"
The birthday boy added that he was granted the ultimate gift when the star wished him a happy birthday after the "planets aligned."
Everett Collection Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf in 'The Lord of the Rings'
"I was flabbergasted," he said. "I had no idea what to do or say. We had zero idea that he was walking down that street. If I was 10 to 20 meters ahead of him, it wouldn't have happened. The planets aligned."
Coyles snapped a photo with McKellen, who seemed rather amused by Coyles' getup.
He added of McKellen, "He's a really lovely, sound bloke, an excellent guy — nice, down-to-earth, and humble — and I'd like to buy him a drink."
McKellen starred as Gandalf in a total of six movies, including The Hobbit trilogy from 2012-2014 and in the Lord of the Rings films from 2001-2003.
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