Sir Ian McKellen was on The View today to talk about his latest project. And according to PopEater, Whoopi Goldberg had some difficulty keeping her Harry Potter stars straight from her Lord of the Rings cast. He first got into a little heated discussion with Elisabeth Hasselbeck about flu shots and government health care. Then Whoopi asked:

"Are you coming back in 'Harry Potter'?" The question silenced the audience and confused the rest of the panel.

"Well, if I were Michael Gambon, I might. But I don't play Dumbledore," he explained. "I play in 'Lord of the Rings.'"

She's only human and I'm sure it was an honest mistake but on a show of this caliber, wouldn't you think it's wise to be "in the know" on your guest's credits? That must've been awkward.

For those Lord of the Rings fans, Ian has said that he has read the script for The Hobbit already and loves it!

Photos by WENN