--- title: Ian McKellen: Taylor Swift Kicked Me Out of My Apartment description: The actor says the pop starlet bought an apartment he was living in and kicked him out so she could move in canonical: https://time.com/4018397/taylor-swift-ian-mckellen-squad/ author: Tessa Berenson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-09-01T12:00:39.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:47:03.945Z og:title: Ian McKellen: Taylor Swift Kicked Me Out of My Apartment og:description: He's not part of her squad. og:url: https://time.com/4018397/taylor-swift-ian-mckellen-squad/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt822a363172ce1aa9/6987617c3c16392c6c44f202/451927031.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: "No Man's Land" & "Waiting For Godot" Opening Night - After Party og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Ian McKellen: Taylor Swift Kicked Me Out of My Apartment twitter:description: He's not part of her squad. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt822a363172ce1aa9/6987617c3c16392c6c44f202/451927031.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Ian McKellen: Taylor Swift Kicked Me Out of My Apartment ## Video: The Power of Taylor Swift [Watch (HLS stream): The Power of Taylor Swift](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/mUgZx3qP.m3u8) (2:04)  _Published 2015-06-22. One day after Taylor Swift publicly blasted Apple Music for not paying artists during the service’s free, three-month trial period, Apple reversed its position_  by [Tessa Berenson](/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Sep 1, 2015 12:00 PM CUT  Sir Ian McKellen attends the "No Man's Land" & "Waiting For Godot" Opening Night after party at the Bryant Park Grill in New York City on Nov. 24, 2013. Sir Ian McKellen attends the "No Man's Land" & "Waiting For Godot" Opening Night after party at the Bryant Park Grill in New York City on Nov. 24, 2013.Walter McBride—WireImage/Getty Images  by [Tessa Berenson](/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Sep 1, 2015 12:00 PM CUT Sir Ian McKellen wants everyone to know that he’s not part of Taylor Swift’s squad. In an [interview with Gay Star News](http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/interview-sir-ian-mckellen-i-was-thrown-out-of-taylor-swifts-new-york-apartment/ "undefined"), the actor was asked how it felt to be in the pop star’s famous posse of friends. (Fellow actor Patrick Stewart[ recently said](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/08/12/patrick-stewart-ian-mckellen-taylor-swift-squad "undefined") that he and McKellen were part of the squad; they were asked to appear on Swift’s _1989_ tour.) “I’m not,” McKellen responded. “When I was living in Peter Jackson’s apartment in New York, Taylor Swift bought it while I was there and I was thrown out before I wanted to leave! That hardly puts me in Taylor Swift’s team, does it?” According to the interview transcript, McKellen then laughed and explained, “She bought it, she had every right to – I was just lodging there for free!” And as for turning down the offer of appearing on stage with her: “She did ask me to appear with Patrick Stewart at her show in LA, but I had something else to do that night.” _Read next:_ [_Let Ian McKellen Teach You How to Make Scrambled Eggs_](http://time.com/3970569/ian-mckellen-scrambled-eggs/?iid=time%5Freadnext "undefined") [_Listen to the most important stories of the day_](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/autoplay/?xid=spl-fullbrief-article "undefined") ### _Mad Max: Fury Road_  Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron star in Mad Max: Fury Road Jasin Boland—Warner Bros. In a summer full of CGI dinosaurs and robots, _Mad Max: Fury Road_ proves that action blockbusters can still be the sort of high art that gets a standing ovation at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. Director George Miller not only perfected the form, building the rickety fire-shooting vehicles from scratch, but adds narrative heft, taking on serious issues like sex slavery in a nuanced way. _—Eliana Dockterman_ ### _It Follows_  IT FOLLOWS, from left: Lili Sepe, Maika Monroe, 2014\. ©RADiUS-TWC RADiUS-TWC As a premise, “pretty teen girl running from certain doom” may not sound like the makings of an inventive horror film. Yet David Robert Mitchell’s indie sensibility makes the movie unlike any thriller you’ve seen before, while still paying homage to the best traditions of the form. _—Sarah Begley_ ### _Far From the Madding Crowd_  FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD, Carey Mulligan, 2015\. ph: Alex Bailey/TM & copyright © Fox Searchlight. All rights reserved Alex Bailey—Fox Searchlight The new adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s novel appeals to the _Pride and Prejudice_ set, but with more subtlety and sadness than most Austen films, plus a hearty heaping of rustic drudgery. Carey Mulligan’s gutsy Bathsheba gets swept off her feet like the best of her 19th century romantic peers, but without their usual histrionics—somewhere between _Lean In_ and _Wuthering Heights_. _—Sarah Begley_ ### _Love & Mercy_  LOVE & MERCY, (aka LOVE AND MERCY), Paul Dano, as Brian Wilson, at drums: Kenny Wormald, as Dennis Wilson, 2014\. ph: Francois Duhamel/©Roadside Attractions Roadside Attractions Paul Dano fulfills the promise of roles in _Little Miss Sunshine_ and _There Will Be Blood_ as a young Brian Wilson, the Beach Boy who’s going slowly mad while recording the group’s landmark album _Pet Sounds_. John Cusack shows us the older Wilson, now paralyzed by overmedication at the hands of a villain. It’s a gripping story of mental illness, which is sadly all too common, and true musical genius—which is extremely rare. _—Sarah Begley_ **MORE** [The Top 10 Best Movie Performances of 2015](http://time.com/collection-post/4134970/top-10-best-movie-performances/ "undefined") ### _Furious 7_  FURIOUS 7, (aka FAST & FURIOUS 7), from left: Tyrese Gibson, Jordana Brewster, Paul Walker, Ludacris, 2015\. ph: Scott Garfield/©Universal Pictures Scott Garfield—Universal Each _Fast & Furious_ movie has gleefully attempted to outdo the previous one. Brought down a plane in the last movie? How about making cars fly out of one in the next? While _Furious 7_ doubled down on its self-consciously corny lines and over-the-top stunts—crashing cars through not one, not two, but three high rises—it also took a moment to give a surprisingly moving send off to star Paul Walker, who died in 2013\. While he will be missed, this increasingly diverse franchise has a bright future. _—Eliana Dockterman_ ### _Ex Machina_  EX MACHINA, Alicia Vikander, 2015\. ©A24 A24 Alicia Vikander’s breakout year hinged on her spooky turn as a robot who may or may not have motives of her own. But this sci-fi thriller got its thrust from the creepy bond between the two men obsessed with Ava: tech billionaire Oscar Isaac and humble employee Domhnall Gleeson. _—Dan D’Addario_ **MORE** [The Top 10 Best Movies 0f 2015](http://time.com/collection-post/4134913/top-10-best-movies/ "undefined") ### _Clouds of Sils Maria_  CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA, Kristen Stewart, 2014\. ph: Carole Bethuel/©IFC Films IFC Films Freed from _Twilight_, Kristen Stewart showed flashes of both savage intelligence and newfound sensitivity as the personal assistant to Juliette Binoche’s pampered, neurotic actress. The film works as both insider moviemaking satire and an enigmatic tribute to intergenerational bonds between women. _—Dan D’Addario_ ### _Welcome to Me_  WELCOME TO ME, Kristen Wiig, 2014\. ph: Suzanne Hanover/©Alchemy Suzanne Hanover—Alchemy Kristen Wiig, at her best, has always had a far more barbed edge than her comedy contemporaries; there’s real bite, and pathos, to her most memorable characters. Add Alice Klieg to that pantheon. Wiig commits utterly to the story of an ill woman who spends her lottery winnings on a five-day-a-week talk show dedicated to praising herself and shaming her enemies. It works as comment on our media age, but soars as a portrait of suffering that only Wiig could make hilarious. _—Dan D’Addario_ ### _Dope_  Open Road Films Writer-director Rick Famuyiwa’s tale about a nerdy black teen obsessed with ’90s hip hop culture rejects the trappings the typical coming-of-age flick, starting with its setting: Inglewood, Calif., otherwise known as “The Bottoms.” Newcomer Shameik Moore’s portrayal of Malcolm, who’s stuck between his ambition for a spot at Harvard and the whac-a-mole of obstacles that keep popping up to thwart him, thrusts the rising star into the well-deserved spotlight. _—Eliza Berman_ ### _Me and Earl and the Dying Girl_  ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL, (aka ME,& EARL & THE DYING GIRL), from left: Olivia Cooke, Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler, 2015\. ph: Anne Marie Fox/TM & copyright © Fox Searchlight Pictures. All rights reserved Fox Searchlight Pictures Director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon’s adaptation of Jesse Andrews’ young adult novel is a love letter to his late father and a tribute to the cinema greats who professionally reared him—and the movie’s labor-of-love origins are felt throughout. Though its plot, in which a high school senior is forced by his parents to befriend a classmate with leukemia, begs comparisons to _The Fault in Our Stars_, the movie defies categorization as a typical teen cancer rom-com by keeping its quirky protagonists in the realm of friendship. _—Eliza Berman_ ### _The Boy Next Door_  Universal No, you didn’t stumble onto the list of worst movies so far, and no, this wasn’t included to make a larger point about how _The Boy Next Door_ is the rare thriller that lets a middle-aged heroine objectify a _dude_ for a change. (In that way, it’s basically the “I Luh Ya Papi” video of thrillers.) _The Boy Next Door_ gets its due here because the cheap twists and unintentionally laugh-out-loud dialogue (first edition of _The Iliad_, anyone?) made for one of the most deliriously _fun_ theater-going experiences of 2015. _—Nolan Feeney_ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4018397/taylor-swift-ian-mckellen-squad/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4018397/taylor-swift-ian-mckellen-squad/"},"headline":"Ian McKellen: Taylor Swift Kicked Me Out of My Apartment","datePublished":"2015-09-01T12:00:39.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:47:03.945Z","description":"The actor says the pop star bought an apartment he was living in and kicked him out","url":"https://time.com/4018397/taylor-swift-ian-mckellen-squad/","keywords":["Newsfeed","celebrities","Taylor Swift"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt822a363172ce1aa9/6987617c3c16392c6c44f202/451927031.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tessa Berenson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt822a363172ce1aa9/6987617c3c16392c6c44f202/451927031.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"\"No Man's Land\" & \"Waiting For Godot\" Opening Night - After Party","caption":"\"No Man's Land\" & \"Waiting For Godot\" Opening Night - After Party","creditText":"Walter McBride—WireImage/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4018397/taylor-swift-ian-mckellen-squad/","name":"Ian McKellen: Taylor Swift Kicked Me Out of My Apartment"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"The Power of Taylor Swift","description":"One day after Taylor Swift publicly blasted Apple Music for not paying artists during the service’s free, three-month trial period, Apple reversed its position","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/mUgZx3qP/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-06-22T20:13:13.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/mUgZx3qP.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4018397/taylor-swift-ian-mckellen-squad/","duration":"PT2M4S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4018397/taylor-swift-ian-mckellen-squad/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```