Nathan Lane has multiple TV and film roles under his belt after working in Hollywood for decades. Along with his acting work, many fans have revered him as one of the most prominent and visible gay actors currently working. However, there was a time when Lane didn’t feel comfortable expressing his sexuality. With that in mind, he was almost outed before he was ready to proclaim his sexuality. Thankfully, his The Birdcage co-star Robin Williams supported him in that moment, and The Lion King star explained how the late comedian came to his rescue.
At the time, Lane and Williams were on a press tour for The Birdcage, which is regarded as one of Lane’s and Williams’ best movies. It featured a gay couple posing as a heterosexual couple to impress their future in-laws. Of course, the film’s content prompted moviegoers and interviewers to ponder over the stage and screen veteran’s sexual orientation. However, Lane did not want to talk about his personal life at that time. He explained how uncomfortable he was talking about his personal life by saying to Sunday Today (via People):
I certainly wasn't ready to go from table to table to tell them all that I was gay. I just wanted to talk about [how] I finally got a big part in a movie, and I didn't want to make it about my sexuality. Although, it was sort of unavoidable because of the nature of the film and the character.
There were certain press stops actors had to do if they wanted their movie to get some traction. One of those stops was The Oprah Winfrey Show. As Oprah Winfrey was known for doling out hard-hitting and sometimes controversial questions to her celebrity guests, this made Lane very wary of sitting on her couch. He knew his portrayal in the comedy would open him up to questions about his sexuality. The multi-Tony Award winner broke down the conversation he and Robin Williams had before sitting down with the talk show host.
[There was] this famous moment when we had to do Oprah. [Laughs] I don't think Oprah was trying to out me, but I said to Robin beforehand, 'I'm not prepared. I'm so scared of going out there and talking to Oprah. I'm not prepared to discuss that I'm gay on national television. I'm not ready. And he said, 'Oh, it's alright, don't worry about it, we don't have to talk about it, we won't talk about it.' And then she was like, ‘How come you’re so good at that girly stuff?’ You know? ‘Are you worried about being typecast? And then Robin sort of swoops in and diverts Oprah and goes off on a tangent and protects me, because he was a saint.
The moment proved once again what a stand-up guy Robin Williams was. He was able to help Nathan Lane in a tight situation. Williams was an ally even before that was a term. It seemed like he knew being his usual energetic self would give Lane more time to formulate his answer. After adverting the question, the Only Murders in the Building star explained why he kept quiet about his sexuality at the time.
I just wasn't ready to do that, to make this whole thing… the public side of it, the celebrity side. 'Oh, now you're a public figure and you have to make some sort of public statement about it.' I was terrified. I wasn't ready to do that. It's great that everyone now feels comfortable, but homophobia is alive and well and there are plenty of gay people who are still hiding.
Of course, things are getting better now for those in the LGBTQ+ community to express themselves openly. However, in the 1990s, being openly gay in Hollywood was frowned upon. There were very few openly LGBTQ+ performers accepted by mainstream pop culture. Some faced typecasting or backlash for owning their sexuality. For example, Ellen DeGeneres faced serious backlash after coming out on her self-titled 1990s sitcom, and her show was canceled a year after this historic moment. So, Lane had every right to fear being outed at the time. He eventually came out as gay in 1999.
Now, Nathan Lane feels freer to express himself despite homophobia still being prevalent. His sexuality has helped rather than hindered his career as the 67-year-old actor has multiple new movie releases coming out. He will be seen next in the Joaquin Phoenix-led Beau is Afraid, which hits theaters on April 21.
