UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. — Ian McKellen says his on-stage "King Lear" nude scene is discreetly avoided in the upcoming public television version of the play.

A public TV executive said Wednesday at a meeting of the Television Critics Association that the decision to forgo full-frontal nudity by McKellen was made by Trevor Nunn, director of the acclaimed Royal Shakespeare Company production that airs March 25.

McKellen said audiences can be distracted when an actor or actress strips. The British actor, who turns 70 this year, of "Lord of the Rings" and "X-Men" films fame, said cutting the nudity left the production's quality unaffected.

(This version CORRECTS that McKellen is NOT 70, but turns 70 this year.)