Ian McKellen is a shy person, says director Joe Stephenson

Joe Stephenson, who directed the documentary "McKellen: Playing the Part", said he found veteran actor Ian McKellen as a gentle and shy person.

The documentary is built around 14 hours of interviews with the "Lord of the Rings" star and has a raft of never-before-seen archive material, including behind-the-scenes footage from film and stage. It covers his early years, with access to diaries and private photo albums, his acting career, and his role in the gay rights movement, according to Femalefirst.

"He's a very gentle and quite a shy person, really. Which is quite a strange thing - a juxtaposition, really, with how outspoken he is about things and how brave he is and how much of a strong performer he is. He is actually quite a shy individual," Stephenson said.

"The thing that surprises me about him is that he's not as certain about himself as I thought he was. I had an idea of just age being a thing, like when you get to a certain age you must be certain about yourself, and you must really know everything," he added.

In the documentary, McKellen, 78, talks about his film work and roles, including Magneto in the "X-Men" franchise and Gandalf in "Lord of the Rings" and "Hobbit" series.