If you’re the kind of person who gets obsessive about all things Tolkienian, it’s been a pretty big week. Sir Ian McKellen made it official Tuesday, announcing on his Web site that he’ll playing Gandalf in the upcoming two-part movie adaptation of The Hobbit, which begins filming in New Zealand next month. Along with recent reports that Elijah Wood, Orlando Bloom, Cate Blanchett,andthe guy who plays Gollum are also Hobbit-ready, it would seem that the band, as they say, is really getting back together. But for anybody who’s followed the Internet hand-wringing about the on-again-off-again production, it can feel presumptuous to assume anything until we actually see the opening credits roll. For most of 2010, McKellen kept us guessing about his involvement in the Lord of the Rings prequel the way some actors keep us guessing about their sexuality. As least with McKellen, there’s never been any mystery about the latter. This is a man who famously went on a talk show in Singapore, a country with strict laws against homosexuality, and asked the host, “Can you recommend any decent gay bars?” But when it comes to his future as Middle Earth’s favorite wizard, he’s been downright cagey.

Last September, McKellen caused a minor stir when photos of him at a London rally showed the actor wearing a T-shirt that read “I’m Gandalf and Magneto. Get over it!” Somebody eventually figured out that the picture had been Photoshopped, and McKellen was actually wearing a shirt that read, “Some people are gay. Get over it!” The fake T-shirt was vaguely funny, assuming it made any sense. (To be honest, I still don’t understand. Was the joke that McKellen has played multiple movie roles and that can be confusing? Or that he’s played two seemingly non-gay wizards while he is, in fact, gay?) But it would’ve been so much more poignant had somebody thought to Photoshop his shirt with the message “I may or may not be Gandalf again. Get over it!” With all due respect to the gay community, they don’t have to contend with nearly the same anxiety and helplessness as a Lord of the Rings blogger.

I met with McKellen at the Savannah Film Festival, where he was given a lifetime-achievement award. During his acceptance speech, he talked about how the Georgia governor nearly replaced Martin Luther King Day with “Ian McKellen Day,” and how he became the first openly gay man to legally serve in the American military (long story). Prior to the ceremony, I was invited to speak with him at the local college’s library. McKellen teased me about wearing shorts (complimenting my boyish calves, thank you very much) and proved that he has a healthy sense of humor about himself. Except, of course, when it comes to Photoshopped t-shirts that make fun of wizards and homophobia.

Eric Spitznagel: I’m not sure what I should call you. Is it Sir Ian or just Ian?

Ian McKellen: Just Ian, please.

So the bloom is off the rose with the whole knighthood thing?

Well, I don’t know about that. There are some tremendous actors in the U.K. who have been knighted, and I’ve spent much of my life admiring many of them, like Laurence Olivier. So it’s very flattering to be in their company. But you also end up in the company of people you don’t admire, including some rather dodgy politicians. I tend to discourage people from calling me “Sir Ian,” because I don’t like being separated out from the rest of the population. Of course, it can be useful if you’re writing an official letter, like trying to get a visa or something passed through Parliament. They’re impressed by these things.