Nathan Lane Says He ‘Wasn’t Brave Enough’ to Come Out When “The Birdcage ”Was Released
Nathan Lane Says He ‘Wasn’t Brave Enough’ to Come Out When “The Birdcage ”Was Released
Victoria EdelWed, April 8, 2026 at 6:18 PM UTC
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Nathan Lane in 'The Birdcage' (left); Nathan Lane in January 2026 (left)Credit: United Artists/Kobal/Shutterstock; Oliver Rodriguez/Shutterstock -
Nathan Lane opened up about deciding not to come out of the closet when The Birdcage was released
The actor said he "wasn't brave enough"
The actor eventually came out in a 1999 magazine profile
Nathan Lane felt uncomfortable in the spotlight when The Birdcage was released.
Lane, 70, opened up about the 1996 film in an interview with The Guardian on April 8. The movie, directed by Mike Nichols from a script by Elaine May, starred Robin Williams as a drag club owner, Armand, and Lane as Albert, his partner who performs in the shows. Their son Val (Dan Futterman) falls in love with Barbara (Calista Flockhart), whose parents are the conservative Senator Kevin Keeley (Gene Hackman) and his wife Louise (Dianne Wiest).
The movie launched Lane into mainstream stardom, and though people in his real life knew he was gay, he wasn’t ready to talk about his sexuality in the press. “In those days, you might as well say: ‘And by the way, I love c--k,’” Lane joked. “But I wasn’t ready; I wasn’t brave enough.”
Robin Williams (left) and Nathan Lane in 'The Birdcage'Credit: Lorey Sebastian/United Artists/Kobal/Shutterstock
The Only Murders in the Building actor explained, “I was a character actor. I wasn’t thinking I was going to become a leading man. For better or worse, that’s what I did.”
Lane was asked about a clip from the press of The Birdcage, when he and Williams, who died in 2014 at 63, appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Winfrey asked if he was afraid of being typecast as gay “and people forever saying: ‘Are you? Are you not? Is he?’ ”
When Lane didn’t answer, Williams deflected the questioning. Lane said it was a reflection of his “incredibly kind, generous soul” and that Winfrey was just being playful. Still, he told the outlet if he did it again, he would tell Winfrey, “If you’re asking me why I’m good at it in the movie, it’s because I’m a wonderful actor. And if you are asking me if I’m gay, the answer is yes.”
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Lane also remembered, a few weeks after the interview, a man yelling at his on the street and calling him a “f----t.”
“It was humiliating,” he said. “I went: ‘Well, this is the other side of fame.’ ” Lane ultimately came out in The Advocate in 1999. “Then it was like: ‘Yeah, big deal, we already knew.’ So there was no winning that one,” he said.
Nathan Lane in March 2025Credit: Phillip Faraone/WireImage
The Birdcage celebrated its 30th anniversary in March. Lane remembered working with Williams on the film back in 2014 during an episode of Watch What Happens Live. He remembered a day when they filmed a musical number that was eventually cut from the film.
“Robin had a day off from filming, but he wanted to come in and be there just to be supportive of me,” Lane said. The Lion King star tried to talk him out of it, but he came in anyway. “He was an extraordinary person.”
Lane said that he wouldn’t have been cast in the part if it weren’t for Williams. “Originally he was going to play that part, then Steve Martin was supposed to do it with him, and then he couldn't do it, and that part opened up,” the actor said, noting he especially appreciated Williams taking the chance on him instead of saying, “Get me another movie star!”
Lane’s most recent credits include the TV shows The Gilded Age and Mid-Century Modern and the movies Beau Is Afraid and Spellbound. He currently stars on Broadway in Death of a Salesman opposite Laurie Metcalf, Christopher Abbott and Ben Ahlers.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
