Ian McKellen stuns U.S. audience with Shakespeare speech condemning ‘inhumanity’

Ian McKellen delivered a striking Shakespearean monologue on U.S. television this week, using a 400-year-old text to confront what he described as America’s “mountainous inhumanity” toward immigrants.

The veteran stage and screen actor appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Wednesday night, where he was invited to perform a speech from Sir Thomas More, a rarely staged play attributed in part to William Shakespeare.

What began as a routine late-night appearance quickly turned into one of the most politically charged moments on U.S. television this year.

A Shakespeare monologue that still resonates

McKellen recited a passage from Act II, Scene 4 of Sir Thomas More, in which the title character condemns the persecution and expulsion of refugees.

The speech asks those in power to imagine themselves as “wretched strangers”, forced to flee with their children and belongings, and questions how any society can justify such cruelty.

Though written in the late 16th century, the language echoed present-day debates around immigration and displacement in the United States, giving the performance renewed urgency in 2026.

McKellen first performed the role in the 1970s, but the monologue’s themes appeared to land with particular force during the current political climate.

Colbert thanks McKellen as audience applauds

The studio audience responded with sustained applause following the performance.

Host Stephen Colbert thanked McKellen on air, praising the actor for his generosity and for delivering words that felt especially necessary during a tense moment in U.S. public discourse.

Clips of the segment later circulated widely online, drawing praise for using classical theatre to comment on modern-day policy and moral responsibility.

More than a promotional appearance

McKellen’s visit to the show also came amid renewed interest in his career, with the actor set to reprise fan-favourite roles including Gandalf and Magneto in upcoming projects.

He is currently appearing in The Ark, which is playing at The Shed in New York City.

However, it was the Shakespeare performance, rather than future film roles, that defined the appearance, reframing a centuries-old text as a direct challenge to contemporary audiences.

In just a few minutes of live television, McKellen demonstrated how classical language can still cut through political noise, reminding viewers that debates over belonging, borders and compassion are far older than any modern nation.