Ian McKellen turned down 'Mission: Impossible' role

Hollywood actor Ian McKellen has revealed he only got to star in the "Lord of the Rings" and "X-Men" movies because he declined an offer to appear in "Mission: Impossible II".
The 76-year-old actor - who appeared as Gandalf and Magneto, in two of the most successful franchises of all time - said the decision to spurn the chance to appear in the action movie proved to be a turning point in his career, said the Hollywood Reporter.
"I got offered a part in 'Mission: Impossible II' with Tom Cruise, but they wouldn't let me see the whole script because I might have spilled the beans. I only got my scenes.

"Well, I couldn't judge from reading just those scenes what the script was like. So I said no. And my agent said, 'You cant say no to working with Tom Cruise!' and I said, 'I think I will'," he said.