Quotables: Sir Ian McKellen, Lance Bass & Others On Coming Out and Getting Older

Sir Ian McKellen, Lance Bass, and several other stars have recently opened up about coming out in the press. In almost all the cases, age influenced how each celebrity came out. As they've gotten older, these stars have shared similar notions of regret or desires to have changed how and when they would have done it.

Sir Ian McKellen on wishing he had come out sooner:

In an interview with Men's Journal, McKellen went on to say, "It was very easy, but I was 49 years old. I hadn't given much thought about it before then, to tell you the truth. I was living very happily and openly as a gay man. It all happened in a bit of a rush when I decided to come out. I was angry because of a law that was anti-gay in the United Kingdom, and it was easier to come out in my indignation."

Lance Bass on not wanting to rush his coming out:

Lance Bass recently told Wonderwall that everything was moving to fast. "I had 24 hours to do it. I would love to have had a chance to sit down and figure out a way it could really hit in a positive way to change people's minds [about LGBT people] ... When the story was at its height, I could've had some really great ammunition to support the LGBT community."

Sean Hayes on regretting coming out so late:

For Sean Hayes, being in the spotlight was overwhelming, which forced him back into the closet. "I didn't want the responsibility, I didn't know how to handle the responsibility of speaking for the gay community," he told the Los Angeles Times. "Some people in the gay community were very upset with me for not coming out on their terms. They don't stop to think about what's going on in somebody's personal life, and the struggles that they're having. It was all very scary. We got death threats. It was a really rough time for me, but I was also having the time of my life."

Michelle Rodriguez on age factoring into her coming out:

As she's gotten older, Michelle Rodriguez wanted to be open about being bisexual (and sexually active). She told Latina magazine, "Eventually it's going to wrinkle up, and I'm not going to be able to use it."