During a bar crawl, a man costumed like Gandalf from Lord of the Rings was celebrating his birthday when he unexpectedly ran into Sir Ian McKellen.

Superfan of Tolkien Ben Coyles was out celebrating turning 22 when he ran with the legendary British actor who performed the role.

Bristol, an English city, welcomed actor Ian McKellen, who played the wizard Gandalf in the popular film trilogy The Lord of the Rings (and The Hobbit).

On April 13, Ben and his buddies were heading to the next bar to celebrate when they turned down Corn Street and saw the Oscar-nominated man himself.

Ben’s friends almost shocked him when they took a few pictures of him with his hero. Felix Spencer stated, ‘We were unaware that he would be present.’

‘Someone approached us in our penultimate pub, asking if we would like our Gandalf to meet the real Gandalf.

‘I turn around thinking someone is about to pull my leg, but Sir Ian McKellen is standing right there.

While several of Ben’s pals were aware that he was in the city—costarring with comic John Bishop in Mother Goose at the Bristol Hippodrome on April 14—they never expected that they would run into him.

Ben, a University of Bristol music student, remarked, ‘So, it was really bizarre.’ ‘I wasn’t able to identify him right away, but then I realized, ‘Oh my god, it’s Sir Ian McKellen!’’

‘Everyone exclaimed, ‘What in the world is happening?’’ ‘He shook my hand, wished me a happy birthday, and inquired about my age.

‘I was shocked and unsure of what to say or do.’
We were completely unaware that he was crossing the street.

‘I’d like to buy him a drink; he’s a really nice guy, an excellent guy, nice, down to earth, and humble.’