Nathan Lane claims he missed out on big film role because of his sexuality
Nathan Lane has claimed he missed out on a role in Space Jam because of his sexuality.
The Tony-winner, 69, who shot to fame in The Birdcage – a 1996 comedy about a queer couple forced back in the closet for the sake of their son – was 'terrified' to be outed and didn't come out until 1999.
Lane said he had been hosting the Tony Awards in 1996 when Space Jam's director, Joe Pytka, observed he was 'too gay' to play Michael Jordan 's assistant in the film and cast Wayne Knight instead.
Speaking to Vanity Fair, he said: 'I was up for that part…Apparently the director saw me hosting the Tony Awards and thought that suggested I was too gay to play the part.'
However, Lane claimed he 'didn't really care about' losing out on the role, adding: 'So thank God, I didn't have to do Space Jam.'
He added: 'But I don't know. I'll never know what people say. Homophobia is alive and well, still.'
The Independent has contacted Pytka's representatives for comment.
Elsewhere in the interview, Lane detailed the challenges The Birdcage brought to his career. 'I don't know what goes on behind closed doors, but I can't help but think that it played a part,' he said.
Lane's agent at the time even warned against the actor coming out in case it impacted his chance of scoring roles.
'In the beginning, I never really pursued film,' he said. 'I always thought theatre was a more interesting place to be, because you learn more about acting that way.
'Movies were just to pay the bills so I could keep doing theatre. Then The Birdcage came along. I thought perhaps because of the success of that, it'd lead to other films, but then it didn't. It really didn't.'
He recalled: 'I said to my agent, 'I thought more would happen after The Birdcage. He said, 'Maybe if you weren't so open about your lifestyle, it would have.''
Lane continued: 'And he was an old queen telling me this. So I left him. […] There weren't a lot of opportunities.'
The Birdcage director Mike Nichols then helped Lane to find new representation at CAA.
However, the star admitted he still struggled to reach the success he wanted: 'Hollywood figured out nothing when it comes to me,' he said. 'I wish they'd figured out what to do with me.'
Back in 2023, Lane revealed how Robin Williams, who starred alongside him in The Birdcage, had protected him from questions about his sexuality at the time of the film's release.
During an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Lane was asked whether he was afraid of being 'typecast' for the role, at which point Williams jumped in and distracted the talk show host.
Lane described the comedian as a 'saint' for the way he'd helped him navigate media attention. 'Robin was just the greatest person,' he said. 'Such a beautiful, sensitive soul and so kind and generous to me.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
North Wales Chronicle
15 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
A-ha singer Morten Harket diagnosed with Parkinson's
In a statement released today (Wednesday, June 4), the Norwegian band revealed the diagnosis. It read: "This isn't the sort of news anyone wants to deliver to the world, but here it is: Morten has Parkinson's disease.' In his own statement on the band's official website, Harket, 65, said he originally kept the degenerative condition 'strictly private' but has now decided to tell fans. A post shared by a-ha (@officialaha) He said: "I've got no problem accepting the diagnosis. With time I've taken to heart my 94-year-old father's attitude to the way the organism gradually surrenders: 'I use whatever works'". Harket shared that he'd been trying his best to prevent his "entire system from going into decline". He added: "It's a difficult balancing act between taking the medication and managing its side effects. "There's so much to weigh up when you're emulating the masterful way the body handles every complex movement, or social matters and invitations, or day-to-day life in general.' His symptoms have been 'softened' thanks to developments in treatment from the Mayo Clinic in the United States. As reported by The Independent, Harket shot to fame in the 1980s with synth pop trio A-ha's international chart-topping song 'Take On Me', which was released in 1985. It became a hit after its third time being released with assistance from an animated video, directed by Steve Barron. Harket has released 11 albums with A-ha, as well as six solo records. According to the NHS website, Parkinson's disease is "a condition in which parts of the brain become progressively damaged over many years". The main symptoms involve involuntary shaking of particular parts of the body, slow movement and stiff muscles. Recommended reading: Singer Jessie J diagnosed with 'early breast cancer' and reveals surgery plans Lisa Hogan 'burst into tears' after comment from Jeremy Clarkson's daughter New Love Island star has a very famous dad who is a football legend It adds: "Parkinson's disease is caused by a loss of nerve cells in part of the brain called the substantia nigra. "This leads to a reduction in a chemical called dopamine in the brain. "Dopamine plays a vital role in regulating the movement of the body. A reduction in dopamine is responsible for many of the symptoms of Parkinson's disease."
Metro
15 hours ago
- Metro
Rivals season 2 twist confirmed after major spoiler for sizzling series
The Rivals cast have officially returned to Rutshire for another roll around the Maytime hay. The Disney Plus show got pulses racing last year with its soapy adaptation of the first half of Jilly Cooper's bonkbuster novel of the same name, which drew a Cotswolds world where everyone is constantly horny and prepared to cheat on their spouses. Viewers were hooked. The homage to 80s hedonism starred a stellar cast of British acting talent, including Danny Dyer, Aidan Turner and Katherine Parkinson. Heading up the call sheet was David Tennant playing nominative determinist baddie Tony Baddingham, the head honcho at the Corinium TV station, which goes to war with a new underdog outfit called Venturer. Yet the operatic season finale left it unclear whether Tennant's sneering TV executive would be back, after the mother of all cliffhangers left his life hanging in the balance. However, Disney Plus and Hulu – where the show streams in the US –confirmed last month that Tennant will indeed be back and new set pictures have hinted at his upcoming storyline. The Disney Plus Instagram account shared a snap of Tennant's name card and script at a table read for the new season, with the teasy caption: 'Did someone ask for a Rivals update?' So we knew Tony would be in the second season and it was suspected he would survive (because he's an evil villain and they always keep coming back for more, of course). But there was always the possibility it would be in a flashback capacity after he met a sticky end in the first season finale. Yet new set pictures seem to confirm he did survive the climactic office showdown with Cameron (Williams), as Tennant has been seen filming with a set of prosthetic stitches in his head, presumably from that brutal blow to the head. Spoilers ahead. It wasn't beyond possibility Rivals would end its first batch of episodes with a death – the whole thing had turned very 'pistols at dawn' – but we could never have anticipated the blood-soaked cliffhanger we were left with. The final scene saw Tony (Tennant) have it out with his protegee turned mistress Cameron (Nafessa Williams) after discovering her affair with Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell). Tennant magicked up a frightening new scariness to Tony Baddingham for this scene. For a moment it really looked like Cameron would be the one on the way out. But instead she whacked Tony over the head with a TV award she had accepted in front of him in the previous episode. The last we saw of Tony, he was bleeding out on the '80s shag carpet as the fireworks popped for New Years. Rivals fans had already guessed Tony would rise from the blood-soaked carpet, after he was seen in a short teaser clip from the show's season two table read. More Trending @max commented on the TikTok clip: 'DAVID IS THERE??!!,' alongside a gasping emoji. @AnnieKT1970 commented: 'So David Tennant character isn't dead, jeez spoiler alert.' View More » Rivals is available to stream on Disney Plus. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Comedy series compared to Friends has fans begging for one thing after bingeing 8 episodes MORE: All episodes of 'thrilling' axed historical drama dropping on free UK streamer MORE: I binge-watch TV for a living – here are my recommendations for June
Time Out
15 hours ago
- Time Out
Sadie Sink on the vulnerability of her star turn on Broadway
At the tender age of 23, Sadie Sink is already a Broadway veteran. She made her Main Stem debut as a standby ragamuffin in the 2012 revival of Annie and later assumed the title role. A few years later, in 2015, she was a young version of Elizabeth II in The Audience. (The older version? Helen Mirren.) Since then, she has achieved nationwide fame for playing troubled teens on Netflix's Stranger Things and the Brendan Fraser drama The Whale. But none of those teens was quite as tormented as the one she currently plays at the Booth Theatre in John Proctor Is the Villain. Kimberly Belflower's suspenseful drama, directed by Danya Taymor, centers on a group of high school girls in rural Georgia who draw connections between Arthur Miller's The Crucible and sexual situations in their own lives; Sink is Shelby, a classmate who returns after a lengthy and mysterious absence. 'Shelby is one of the most meaningful characters I've ever played,' Sink says. 'It's been the thrill of my career so far.' Her star turn has earned her a Tony nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Play. We spoke with her about the excitement of Tony season, the demands of her role and the songs that help her get into character every night. In advance of the Tony Awards on June 8, Time Out has conducted in-depth interviews with select nominees. We'll be rolling out those interviews every day this week; the full collection to date is here. Interviews have been edited for length and clarity. How have you been processing the madness of Tony season? It's the biggest thing that's ever happened to me! One thing that keeps me focused is that I still have to do my job; we're still doing the show eight times a week. That's been a challenge, but also something I've been super appreciative of. And the part is challenging enough already! What do you think are Shelby's strongest qualities? Shelby is incredibly smart—that's not so obvious to other people—in a way that's beyond her years. What drew me to her was her honesty, which I think is something a lot of people struggle with. Personally, I could never be as honest and blunt as Shelby is. I was really drawn to how she can maintain that quality throughout the trauma she's suffered, and the way she carries that trauma in such a complex, beautiful, messy way. Digging into that and peeling back her layers was such a long process—and one that I feel like I didn't actually have a full grasp on until right before opening, to be honest. How has the role evolved for you over time? In rehearsal, we got into some of her wackier and nerdier sides, where she's a little bit more energetic and awkward. In previews, we stripped that back and brought back some of my initial instincts; we grounded her a bit and found places for her to relax so that the audience could see the many dimensions of who she is. I learned so much from exploring and pushing the boundaries of a character and then reeling it back in. That's all thanks to Danya; I saw her do that with every actor in this ensemble piece. What do you remember about her directing you for your big scene with Amalia Yoo's character? I think it's the most beautiful scene in the play, but I'm biased. You get to see a vulnerable side of Shelby. This scene went through many phases. It felt awkward at first; there's a wall for her in letting her vulnerability peek through, because until that point she doesn't let you see that anything is wrong. Letting that go, in a really honest way, took some time to unlock— especially when you add an audience, because we're sitting on the edge of the stage for that scene. There might be people in the audience that are just seeing Max from Stranger Things, so there's automatically a wall that I, as Sadie, am putting up. But Danya made me feel I had permission to let that down. She told me something that shifted how I approached the scene: That any choice I make, anything I say, has nothing to do with me. It's only Shelby. And if I can just be a vessel for her, then the vulnerability can open up and it can feel honest. That was so important to hear from a director—for her to call out the anxieties that I have in that area, and allow me to feel safe and protected. The play gets intense at some points. How do you get into character? There are 30 minutes in the play before I go on stage. So while everybody else is warming up, I'm not; I wait until everyone else is on stage, and that's my warm-up time. I have the space to get into character, because it's so quiet backstage. I have a few songs that are triggers, or that help me associate with Shelby. If I listen to one of those songs, then I'm good. I've been listening to 'Limp,' by Fiona Apple. I think Shelby would love Fiona Apple. Also, 'Liability (Reprise)' from Melodrama by Lorde. That's a huge one. It's weird how much muscle memory comes into play. We've done the show so many times at this point; each show feels different, but your body knows what to do and knows what you need to access at different points. That's been a huge learning curve. It doesn't get worse or less true the more you do it. It becomes second nature, and you find different things in the performance that stick out. Is there a line in the script that particularly speaks to you? This week's line was in the gas station scene. It's when Shelby says, 'I think I'm going to be super messed up for a really long time, but I don't know if I'm fully equipped to start that journey right now.' That was always my favorite in rehearsals, but it really came back around this week; it's such a mature thing for her to say but also so heartbreaking. I was emotional thinking about what the rest of Shelby's life looks like, carrying what happened to her. How do you wind down after a performance? At the end of the show, I'm so winded from that last dance. I've given all the energy I have left. I have 45 minutes in the car where I can listen to music. When I get home, I pretty much go to bed. I would be remiss to not ask you about Charles Strouse, the composer who wrote Annie and passed away recently. What do you remember of him? It was really heartbreaking to hear and made me appreciate my time in that show. I met him at the opening night party for Annie. What he did for Annie —that kind of raised me in a way. That's the legacy he created and I'm so appreciative of him. What do you remember about going on in the role of Annie for the first time, after Lilla Crawford had left the production? I'm still friends with Lilla—she's a good friend of mine. Once she left, me and another girl shared the role. I remember the first time I went on for Duffy, the first orphan I played, but I can't remember the first time I went on as Annie. I do remember a put-in that we did: I thought it was so bizarre that the casting directors showed up, and maybe [director] James Lapine and [choreographer] Andy Blankenbuehler. I later realized that that was my audition to step in as Annie. It felt very adult and very serious. I cannot believe someone trusted me to go on stage and do that. Mia Farrow, who is also nominated in your category, recently came to see your performance. How did that go? It was amazing. She did The Roommate at the Booth, so she knew a lot of the crew that worked there. She really loved the show. And I love her so much. She is so kind. I got to meet her at the Tony nominees luncheon. She was like, 'Who do you want to meet?' I said, 'Jonathan Groff.' So she introduced me—which was huge. I will never forget that. What did you say to him? I just said I was such a big fan. I think that's all I said. I hope I can meet him again soon, because I'm obsessed with him. Have you been able to see him yet in Just in Time? No, because we're on the same schedule. The weird thing is, even if you aren't on the same schedule as another show—if you have a night or an afternoon off—it's hard to get yourself to midtown to sit through another show. But I did get to see Oh, Mary!, which was awesome. Maybe you'll get to see him again at the Tonys. Who are you bringing as your date? My brother!
