Sir Patrick Stewart is "in favour" of 14 year olds getting the vote in the UK.
The 78-year-old actor plays wizard Merlin in new fantasy film ‘The Kid Who Would Be King’, which follows a young boy called Alex Elliott who finds King Arthur’s legendary sword Excalibur and must then use it to stop an ancient enchantress from destroying the world.
The ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ actor praised the film for putting young people in a position of control and giving them the ability to make choices that "affect the whole nation" and he thinks the time has come for the legal voting age in Britain to be brought down from 18
Speaking to talkRADIO at ‘The Kid Who Would Be King’ premiere on Sunday (03.02.19), he said: "We’ve had plenty of movies that have had children in. But I can’t think of one that puts them into such a position where they have to make their own decision and their own choices which will affect the whole nation. People are already saying 14 year olds should have the vote and I’m in favour of that."
As for his role as Merlin who joins forces with Alex in the movie, Patrick revealed that although he doesn’t think his is an "iconic performance" as the famous character – who has appeared in many movies – his version is "passionate about doing good".
He said: "I suspect mine is not an iconic performance because he’s a little confused and he’s a little dismayed about what is happening around him. He is passionate about doing good and to have that quality in a movie where the young actors share the same approach to what they are doing is really satisfying."
The ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ star thoroughly enjoyed working with Louis Ashbourne Serkis – who played Alex – and the other younger cast members and he appreciated the "very relaxed" atmosphere on set.
He said: "I respected them as film performers and we did have a good time too, we laughed, there were jokes and things go wrong all the time, it was a very relaxed atmosphere but a very creative atmosphere as well."
Patrick Stewart ‘in favour’ of 14 year olds getting the vote
