Watch Sir Ian McKellen Teach Cookie Monster About Self-Control

1 minute read

Back in October, we were lucky enough to see Ice Cube perform magic tricks on Sesame Street. Now, we get to see another, older, more British celeb make an appearance on the show. This time, it’s Sir Ian McKellen.

The Lord of the Rings actor has graciously arrived at Sesame Street to teach Cookie Monster a new word: “resist.” He starts with a simple definition: “The word resist means to control yourself and stop yourself from doing something you really want to do.”

McKellen uses a few examples that Cookie Monster does not relate to — until, of course, the actor busts out a cookie and forces Cookie Monster to resist it. Or at least, try to resist it.

Read next: 5 Things You Didn’t Know About the Early (Sunny) Days of Sesame Street

More Must-Reads from TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com