November 8, 2010 | Celeb Watch

McKellan blames agents for Hollywood closet

Sir Ian McKellen knows exactly why so many men and women in Hollywood stay closeted. It's because of their agents and managers.

"I don't think any gay person is going to be happy and bring joy to themselves and other people unless they can be honest about their sexuality, and if other people don't like that honesty, that's a comment on them and not on the person who is being honest," McKellen said. "That might seem a harsh thing to say to a young actor who is being advised by an agent to stay in the closet. There are no openly gay stars in Hollywood, so someone is telling them to shut up."

Women seem to have a slightly easier time with it, with more big names like Ellen DeGeneres and Rosie O'Donnell open about their sexuality. But fewer gay men have been willing to come out. Neil Patrick Harris, who successfully plays a straight womanizer on TV's 'How I Met Your Mother,' finally came out only after bloggers were relentless in their stories on his sexuality.

And despite what we all might think, Hollywood is not always the beacon of unabashed liberalism.

"The unwritten rules of engagement are we don't want people discussing their sexuality," explains celebrity publicist Michael Sands. "Hollywood is very homophobic and behind the times like the military. There is this unbreakable silent law that if you come out, your career will be ruined because no one wants to hire someone who is gay or lesbian."

"If you're going around telling a lie you may get by but you won't be half as happy as you would be if you came out," McKellen said. "If that means you have to give up hopes of being one of the three or four young sex symbols in Hollywood so be it. You probably weren't going to be one of those anyway. That happens by chance and it doesn't last for very long."

Ian McKellan Believes Gay Stars Are Still Pressured to 'Stay in the Closet' [PopEater]