For Sir Ian McKellen, coming out not only made him happier—it also made him a better actor. In an interview with the Huffington Post, the actor discussed the experience of coming out to both his family (“nobody gave a damn!”) as well as the media, saying his emotions became much “freer.” “I think up to that point, I had been using acting as a disguise—somewhere where I could express my emotions, and draw attention to myself in a way that I didn’t particularly want to do in real life,” McKellen told the Huffington Post.