Eyewitness Details How Sir Ian McKellen Fell 'Head First' Off Stage And Screamed 'Help Me'

Sir Ian McKellen took a terrifying tumble off the stage during a West End performance yesterday, leaving the audience in a state of panic.

Witness accounts have now shared that McKellen lost his balance and fell "head first" into the crowd, letting out a "blood-curdling scream" that raised concerns through the theatre.

The damages done are seemingly not outlandish as the producers shared that Sir Ian McKellen will "make a speedy and full recovery" and is in "good spirits."

Sir Ian McKellen Tumbled And Fell 'Head First' Into The Crowd

The 85-year-old thespian, best known for his iconic roles in "Lord of the Rings" and "X-Men," suffered a horrific accident during a West End performance last night.

Before the unfortunate incident, McKellen, who stars as John Falstaff in the play, was acting out a battle scene that involved the Prince of Wales and Henry Percy when he tripped and fell off the stage.

Eyewitness Charlie Johnson, a journalist for the Kingston Courier, recounted the moments leading up to the accident to ITV, sharing that McKellen Tumbled off the stage just before the interval of Player Kings at the Noël Coward theatre in London.

"As we approached the interval of the play, there was a fight scene going on," Johnson explained per the Daily Mail. "There were strobe lights and then it all went dark, at which point you could see the silhouette of Sir Ian come out from the wings. And the way the stage works at the Noel Coward is there's sort of a step down just as the stage meets the audience."

He continued, "I think what happened was he put his foot too far, sort of went off that initial step, at which point he lost his balance and pretty much just went head first into the audience."

"And within seconds, a blood-curdling scream arose from the actor. He was clearly in a lot of pain; he was screaming, 'Help me,'" the journalist added.

Sir Ian McKellen Yelled For Help After His Nasty Fall

The Olivier Awards winner seemingly suffered excruciating pain going by the way he yelled out for help.

According to the news outlet, another eye witness, Kol Baker, shared that McKellen had been "berating the villain and moving around" during the scene when he "tripped over" some props and fell off the stage "in almost a belly-flop fashion."

"Instantly he screamed and honestly the noises were bone-chilling," Baker continued, adding that the "Mr. Holmes" actor yelled "help me, help me" followed by "my arms, my arms" and "help me, help me" again.

"The lights were on so quickly the curtains drawn and within seconds they asked to evacuate the whole auditorium. Whilst leaving the theatre within 10 minutes, he was in the back of an ambulance speeding down Trafalgar Square," he added.

Fans Were Concerned For The Hollywood Legend

McKellen's fall sent show attendees into a frenzy as they expressed their worried concern for McKellen's well-being.

Mr Baker noted that the accident, in conjunction with the actor's age, made the audience "really empathetic and almost terrified that it could be life-threatening because of his age."

"Instantly people were standing up, the first two rows completely went to rush to go help Sir Ian and everyone was explaining 'oh my god' and 'that poor man,'" he said of the crowd's reaction to the actor's fall.

"It was very sincere and so much concern for his well-being," he added. "He had made everyone laugh so much this evening."

Sir Ian McKellen Was Hospitalized

The renowned actor has since been hospitalized. However, the degree of injury he suffered remains unknown. The show producer shared that he "will make a speedy and full recovery" and is in "good spirits," further announcing that tonight's performance has been canceled so he can rest.

"Thank you to our audience and the general public for their well wishes following Ian's fall during this evening's performance of Player Kings," A spokesperson for Player Kings told the Daily Mail.

"Following a scan, the brilliant NHS team have assured us that he will make a speedy and full recovery, and Ian is in good spirits," they continued.

The Tuesday Performance Has Been Canceled

In their statement, the spokesperson for Player Kings further noted that they canceled the Tuesday show due to McKellen's unfortunate accident.

They said, "The production has made the decision to cancel the performance on Tuesday 18 June so Ian can rest. Those affected will be contacted by their point of purchase as soon as possible tomorrow."

"Thank you to doctors Rachel and Lee who were on hand in the audience and to all the venue staff for their support," the insider added.