Ian Mckellen Reluctantly Studied Beekeeping For Mr. Holmes Role

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Mon Dec 7, 2015 12:05PM

Sir Ian Mckellen has become an expert on bees after reluctantly getting up close and personal with the insects for his recent film, Mr. Holmes. The X-Men star portrays an ageing version of legendary fictional detective Sherlock Holmes in the movie, in which his retired character becomes a professional apiculturist.
The British actor reveals he flat out refused to work with the insects when director Bill Condon first told him about his character´s hobby, but film finances quickly forced Ian to rethink his position.
Discussing the movie at a recent question-and-answer session at New York literary organization the Lotos Club, Sir Ian admitted, "Then they explained that this is an independent movie, which means a cheap movie... You can´t have all the CGI (computer-generated imagery)!
"So I went to bee school - which was fashionably located at (posh London department store) Fortnum & Mason in Piccadilly. There´s a guy there who keeps bees, in rather fancy hives, as you can imagine. I hope the bees appreciate it."
Sir Ian, who managed to avoid being stung on-set, learned all about caring for the critters from the professional and he was also given an inside tip about the quality of the Fortnum & Mason honey, as the bees feed on flowers at Queen Elizabeth II´s home at Buckingham Palace.
"So the royal family are being robbed daily of their nectar by the other queen in the hive," he quipped, according to the New York Post.