In the wake of The Hobbit premiere, Sir Ian McKellen opened up about his struggle with prostate cancer for the past six or seven years. The actor, who has reprised his role as Gandalf in the Peter Jackson film, talked about the initial scare that he experienced with the disease and how things gradually got back to normal for him.

"You do gulp when you hear the news. It's like when you go for an HIV test, you go 'Arghhh, is this the end of the road?” McKellen told The Daily Mirror. He went on to explain how he eventually came to terms with the diagnosis.

"When you have got it you monitor it and you have to be careful it doesn't spread. But if it is contained in the prostate it's no big deal.”

For the Mirror, the 73-year-old actor praised the NHS and had no qualms about admitting to his various age-related health problems. Still, it doesn’t look like he has any intention of stopping or even slowing down anytime soon. It doesn’t look like it’s been a big deal to him at all. The powerhouse actor has been involved in more than twenty reels over the past six years, since discovering the condition. Among these are some of his most prominent roles in blockbusters like X-Men and the Lord of the Rings trilogy.