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*The following article contains discussion of suicide/self-harm.
Three-time Tony winner Nathan Lane sat down for an interview with Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist to discuss the return to his theatrical roots in the Broadway play Pictures From Home.
While reflecting on his career spanning four decades–which included numerous work in TV and films in both dramatic and comedic roles–Lane talked about how his close friend and colleague Robin Williams protected him by distracting Oprah Winfrey from potentially outing Lane on her show.
Lane made his theatrical debut in 1978 in an off-Broadway production of A Midsummer Night's Dream and has gone on to perform in numerous productions on and off Broadway.
He made his film debut in 1987 with Ironweed and lent his voice as Timon in Disney's animated film TheLion King in 1994.
But his career skyrocketed after playing the flamboyant drag artist Albert opposite Robin William's character Armand Goldman in 1996's The Birdcage–an English version remake of the 1978 Franco-Italian film La Cage aux Folles.
While doing a press tour for the comedy film, Lane–who had been out as gay since he was 21–said he wasn't ready to discuss his sexuality in public.
"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," Nathan recalled, adding:
"Although it was sort of unavoidable because of the nature of the film and the character."
So when he and Williams appeared on The OprahWinfrey Show in 1996, Williams had his buddy's back when the iconic host put Lane in a vulnerable spot with a question about typecasting.
\u201cSo interesting to hear Nathan Lane remember how Robin Williams swooped in to protect Nathan from being outed before he was ready during the promo tour for The Birdcage in 1996. Here's the moment when it happened, and Nathan reflecting on it almost 30 years later:\u201d— Matt Baume (@Matt Baume) 1680042198
Oprah asked Lane:
"Were you afraid of taking that role and being, like, typecast and people forever saying, 'Are you? Are you not? Is he honey, I don't know.'"
Williams then swooped in and distracted Oprah and told her:
"Girl you changed just in the middle of that sentence."
He then continued ribbing Oprah's very flamboyant characterization of inquisitive fans, adding:
"I don't know, I'm telling you. Mmmm. Don't make me come out there."
\u201c@MattBaume @tiger I like how you can see Robin look over to Nathan as he\u2019s doing the bit, like he\u2019s checking to see \u201cdo you need me to do this?\u201d\u201d— Matt Baume (@Matt Baume) 1680042198
The studio audience erupted in laughter–which allowed Lane time to collect his thoughts before responding to Oprah's question.
\u201c@MattBaume Imagine being in a situation where the only way you can save the day is to improvise a hilarious comedic tangent on the spot, and also you are *Robin Williams.*\u201d— Matt Baume (@Matt Baume) 1680042198
\u201c@MattBaume This is amazing, you can see Robin glance at Nathan while he\u2019s causing distraction as if to say \u201cdon\u2019t worry, I got this\u201d. The man was an absolute saint, gone too soon.\u201d— Matt Baume (@Matt Baume) 1680042198
\u201c@MattBaume This is what allyship looks like. Queer people, especially public figures, may not want to be out to EVERYONE, and Robin respected that, and gave Nathan the opportunity to come out publicly on his own time, if he even wanted to\u201d— Matt Baume (@Matt Baume) 1680042198
You can watch the moment in the clip below.
Looking back on that interview, Lane said:
"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 [Robin] said, 'Oh, it's alright, don't worry about it, we don't have to talk about it, we won't talk about it.'"
\u201c@MattBaume @goldengateblond This is just a great moment. Robin Williams had flaws, as we all do, but he was fundamentally a great human being. Who Nathan loved didn\u2019t matter to him, he protected a friend, he protected another human being. I miss his wit, his wisdom and his humanity.\u201d— Matt Baume (@Matt Baume) 1680042198
\u201c@MattBaume You\u2019d think after the movie \u201cPhiladelphia\u201d was released, which was 3 years prior, that it\u2019d be easier for homosexuals to start coming out. But of course, even then, people were still having a hard time being tolerable to this sorta thing\u201d— Matt Baume (@Matt Baume) 1680042198
\u201c@MattBaume @pronounced_ing I have read so many stories about how committed Robin Williams was to looking out for his friends, colleagues, even some fans. Such an incredible human. \ud83d\udc99\u201d— Matt Baume (@Matt Baume) 1680042198
Williams was a celebrated actor and comedian known for his work in films like Dead Poet's Society,Awakenings, Mrs. Doubtfire, Jumanji, and for providing the voice of the Genie in Disney's Aladdin.
He went on to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the 1997 film Good Will Hunting.
On August 11, 2014, Williams was found dead in his Paradise Cay home in California after an apparent suicide.
An autopsy report included an examination of brain tissue suggested the actor who had been battling depression, memory loss, and insomnia was also suffering from undiagnosed "diffuse Lewy body dementia."
\u201c@MattBaume When Robin Williams died, I cried. He\u2019s the only celebrity that I felt an emotional loss to. He was my childhood. He was brilliant. He was kind. He was like a real life Peter Pan in some ways, with that certain spark. Bangarang\u201d— Matt Baume (@Matt Baume) 1680042198
\u201c@MattBaume I never watched Oprah. I wish I had seen this back then! When trouble was afoot, Robin Williams knew how to veer off the dangerous road and keep the wheels straight and moving safely. We miss him so much I just cry whenever I hear more wonderful things that RW did posthumously.\ud83d\ude2d\u201d— Matt Baume (@Matt Baume) 1680042198
\u201c@MattBaume There\u2019s not a day that goes by where I don\u2019t miss him or wish things went a different way but ultimately I appreciate what he gave to us and put some respect his name.\u201d— Matt Baume (@Matt Baume) 1680042198
"Robin was just the greatest person," said Lane, fondly. "Just such a beautiful, sensitive soul and so kind and generous to me."
And regarding coming out at the time of The Birdcage, he said:
“I just wasn’t ready to do that."
“Now you have to make a public statement about it—I was terrified."
"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.”
You can watch the Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist interview here.
Lane eventually came out in 1999 in an interview with Bruce Vilanch for the Advocate magazine following the death of Matthew Shepard–the 21-year-old University of Wyoming student who was violently beaten as part of a hate crime and left for dead on October 6, 1998.
Lane has since been a board member of and fundraiser for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and was honored with numerous awards for his work and philanthropy in the LGBTQ+ community–including the Matthew Shepard Foundation Making A Difference Award in 2015.
The premiere production of Pictures From Home officially opened on Broadway on February 9, 2023, in New York's legendary Studio 54 which has been converted into a theater.
The memory play directed by Bartlett Sher was written by Sharr White and was based on the book of the same name by photographer Larry Sultan, who chronicled his relationship with his parents.
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If you or someone you know is struggling, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.
To find help outside the United States, the International Association for Suicide Prevention has resources available at https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/