Did you know that Ian McKellen turned down the opportunity to play Dumbledore in the Harry Potter franchise after Richard Harris died because Harris once allegedly called McKellen a “dreadful” actor? George R.R. Martin probably knew that, and then some, this week when he took a moment at the Tolkien premiere to share some thoughts about Gandalf and Dumbledore.
During the evening’s question and answer event, Martin, Tolkien stars Nicholas Hoult and Lily Collins, and director Dome Karukoski discussed the film and their personal relationships to Tolkien’s work.
For his part, Martin spoke about how Tolkien’s writing helped inspire him to write the A Song of Ice and Fire Series, and made a surprisingly bold declaration about one of Tolkien’s most iconic characters.
Gandalf, Martin asserted, could kick Dumbledore’s arse, which is a belief that’s sure to spark debate within the characters’ respective fandoms.