By Daily Mail Reporter
Down and out: Sir Ian McKellen reenacts the moment a passer-by mistook him for a tramp as he sat outside a Melbourne theatre in costume during a break from rehearsing Waiting For Godot
Whether he's playing Gandalf, Magneto or King Lear, Sir Ian McKellen is known for his character roles.
But his latest performance was perhaps his most impressive yet - he was mistaken for a genuine tramp as he sat outside a theatre.
The 70-year-old X-Men star was wearing his threadbare costume during a break from rehearsing for Waiting For Godot in Melbourne, Australia, when a passer-by gave him an Australian dollar.
Just the job: Sir Ian McKellen and fellow Godot star Roger Rees outside the theatre admiring their 'earnings'
He tweeted: 'During the dress rehearsal of Godot, I crouched by the stage door of the Comedy Theatre, getting some air, my bowler hat at my feet [and] seeing an unkempt old man down on his luck, a passer-by said, 'Need some help, brother?' and put a dollar in my hat.'
Sir Ian added: 'I hope the Melbourne audiences will be as generous.
'The dollar coin is now lodged between two drawing pins on the board above my dressing room mirror.
'My lucky talisman.'
The actor recreated the moment for publicity shots - perhaps hoping to increase the interest in the play.
Destitute: Sir Ian taking a break from Comedy Theatre costume rehearsals for Waiting For Godot
After Waiting For Godot finishes its run at the Comedy Theatre, it will tour Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth.
The Samuel Beckett play was a huge success in London's West End, with Sir Ian starring as Estragon opposite Patrick Stewart's and then Roger Rees's Vladimir.
The story centres on two characters who amuse themselves, argue, swap hats and even contemplate suicide as they wait for the eponymous character to arrive.
Pozzo, his slave Lucky, and a boy messenger break up the monotony over two acts before the play closes with the men agreeing to leave without making any such move.
Convincing: The actor's threadbare costume and bedraggled beard had the Australian public fooled
source: dailymail
Down and out: Sir Ian McKellen reenacts the moment a passer-by mistook him for a tramp as he sat outside a Melbourne theatre in costume during a break from rehearsing Waiting For Godot 
Just the job: Sir Ian McKellen and fellow Godot star Roger Rees outside the theatre admiring their 'earnings'
Destitute: Sir Ian taking a break from Comedy Theatre costume rehearsals for Waiting For Godot 
Convincing: The actor's threadbare costume and bedraggled beard had the Australian public fooled
