They met when they were young actors, had disagreements, and had confrontations for more than 25 years on screen. The story between Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen is a friendship that many people wish they had once in their lives.

On screen, they stand at opposite ends of the battle line. For more than a quarter of a century, audiences have been accustomed to seeing Sir Patrick Stewart's Professor Leaving the studio, the two men were close friends for half a century.

On the morning of October 30 Vietnam time, the world received news that Sir Patrick Stewart passed away at the age of 86. Among the farewell messages sent to him, there was an article by McKellen, a friend who turned 87 years old this year. Reading it, we admire the journey of a friendship that begins with a word of encouragement and ends with a handshake.

McKellen's words of encouragement to his friend Stewart

The two first met at the Royal Shakespeare Company in the 1970s, when they were both young actors, although during that time they had never appeared in a play together. McKellen's first clear memory of his friend came several years later, on a street in central London. That day, Stewart said he had just been offered the lead role in Star Trek, and McKellen intervened. He reminds you to think about a theater career in England, then asks if you really want to risk being "lost" in Hollywood year after year.

That advice put Stewart in a difficult position, because according to his own account, he placed an unwavering faith in his close friend's advice. However, Stewart said frankly that he would go: he believed that the stage would return to him whenever he was ready, while the opportunity to star in an American television series probably only came once in a lifetime.

Nearly 40 years after the historic event, Mr. McKellen confided that it was lucky for them, and for all of us, because the young actor Stewart dared to risk his life that year. Their friendship was tested by a disagreement, and the two walked hand in hand through it with rare grace: one spoke frankly of his concerns, the other was frank with his choice, and when the right and the wrong were over, the wrong one happily admitted that his friend was right.

Things you don't know about the two lands of Yorkshire and Lancashire

Stewart is from Yorkshire, and McKellen is from Lancashire. According to an old rule that the British still mention in a half-joking and half-serious tone, the people of these two regions have "disliked each other" since the time of the War of the Roses in the 15th century. Two people of the same generation, same profession, same stature, and come from two regions with famous rivalries, so they have every reason to become opponents of each other.

They choose to be friends. In a joint interview with CBS in 2013, McKellen said the two had very similar careers, and the two happily considered themselves equals. Perhaps it is that calm way of looking at each other, when no one needs to stand higher than anyone else, that has laid the foundation for the friendship to stand firm through all these years.

Since 2000, fate has put them in opposition again, this time on screen, as Professor X and Magneto of the X-Men film series. Ironically, it was those years of playing rivals that fostered a deep friendship between the two actors in real life.

The stage is the shared home of two friends

The global fame from Star Trek and X-Men was enough to take the two far away from their early stages, but they still found their way back to the stage, and back to stand next to each other. In 2009, they performed Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot together in the West End, Stewart playing Vladimir, McKellen playing Estragon. The show ran until August 9, 2009, and when the final curtain closed, McKellen cried. Godot is a story about two old friends sitting on the side of the road waiting together, a play as if written for them.

In 2013, that friendship went beyond the theater when McKellen officiated at Stewart's wedding. Also that year, the two brought No Man's Land and Waiting for Godot to Broadway, then three years later performed No Man's Land together in the West End. There are friends who meet each other every holiday, but for these two men, the stage is where they meet.

Two men dare to say the word "love"

Many men are afraid to express their feelings for their friends, especially when they are in their twilight years. Stewart and McKellen were blunt. In 2020, Stewart told the Times of London that he loved McKellen deeply. In 2023, McKellen joked that going anywhere with Patrick was like going with the Pope, a statement that was both joking and hiding pride in his extremely beloved friend. And when you left, McKellen wrote that Stewart was trustworthy, admirable, and to him, lovable.

Earlier this year, Marvel released the Avengers: Doomsday teaser, and once again Professor X and Magneto sat at the chess board, holding hands and smiling. The two characters who have been facing each other for more than 25 years on screen finally found each other through a handshake, just like the two actors found each other a long time ago in real life. On December 18, when Doomsday hits theaters, it will be the last time they appear on screen together.

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Half a century, from a word of encouragement on a London street to a handshake on the set of the last movie of their careers, Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen have shown that a friendship can go through disagreements, through fame, through years of playing each other's enemies, and then grow deeper and deeper.

The chess game may be left open, the conflict between the two schools of leadership may not have ended, but their friendship has long been complete.