Young Sheldon's Iain Armitage Got His Name From A Movie Legend
It's impressive enough to be the protagonist and face of the highest-rated sitcom in the United States at any age, but to do so as a child star is an even more formidable achievement. And that's just what Iain Armitage has done as the lead of CBS's incredibly successful Sheldon Cooper-focused "The Big Bang Theory" spin-off, "Young Sheldon," now going on its seventh season.
From his beginnings as a YouTube star to his "Young Sheldon" breakthrough, Armitage, now 15, has a career marked by love and reverence for the craft of acting, which has frequently come through in his praise and expressions of admiration for the actors who inspire him. And one actor who has played a particularly important role in Armitage's trajectory is Sir Ian McKellen. Armitage himself revealed as much on an Instagram post made on May 25, 2023, on the occasion of the legendary English thespian's 84th birthday.
Wishing McKellen a happy birthday, Armitage shared with his followers a series of pictures taken of him with his idol at various points throughout the years, accompanied by a caption featuring an interesting biographical tidbit: Not only did he first meet Ian McKellen back when he was just a few months old, but his name was also inspired by McKellen's. "I am named, in part, for him. [It's the same name, spelled differently]," Armitage wrote. As if that weren't enough, McKellen also apparently played a direct part in Armitage's decision to become an actor in the first place.
Ian McKellen suggested that Ian Airmitage try his hand at acting
Long before Iain Armitage ever set foot on a TV or movie set, he was already climbing his way to a prominent place in entertainment media, thanks to his post as America's foremost six-year-old theater critic. The reviews posted to his YouTube channel, "Iain Loves Theatre," became an early-2010s internet sensation, netting him significant media attention, and, eventually, an acting career.
However, before he got to that point, there was a time when Iain Armitage didn't even consider the possibility of doing any acting of his own. His love for the stage, so he thought, had enough of an outlet in his experience as a critic and spectator. But, as he revealed on the aforementioned Instagram post, Ian McKellen eventually changed his perspective.
"I didn't watch tv and though I'd seen some kids on stage, it never really occurred to me that I could join them, I just loved seeing them. At some point around this age Sir Ian said to me 'Wouldn't you have more fun being an actor instead of reviewing them?'" Armitage wrote on Instagram. This advice inspired the young YouTuber to try acting, and, sure enough, he fell in love with it as well. By 2017, he had signed with Abrams Artists Agency in New York City (now known as A3 Artists Agency) and boarded HBO's "Big Little Lies" as Ziggy Chapman. The rest is history.