Nathan Lane Remembered When Robin Williams “Protected” Him When He Wasn’t Ready To Publicly Come Out
buzzfeed.com
4 min read
Nathan Lane Remembered When Robin Williams "Protected" Him When He Wasn't Ready To Publicly Come Out,"Robin was just the greatest person. Such a beautiful, sensitive soul and so kind and generous to me."
Nathan Lane Remembered When Robin Williams “Protected” Him When He Wasn’t Ready To Publicly Come Out
Warning: This post contains discussion of suicide.
Nathan Lane is an incredible actor, and his journey is inspiring.
Universal / ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection, Jason Smith/Everett Collection
He successfully crossed over into feature films after his unforgettable turn as Timon in The Lion King.
Walt Disney Co. / ©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett CollectionAnd most recently, he earned a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for Only Murders in the Building.
Craig Blankenhorn / ©Hulu / Courtesy Everett CollectionBut my favorite role encapsulating his journey as an actor was The Birdcage (1996), also starring Robin Williams, who died by suicide at age 63 in 2014.
Frank Trapper / Corbis via Getty ImagesIn a new episode of Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist, Nathan recalled how, during the press tour for The Birdcage, Robin, who he described as “a beautiful person” and “just a sensitive soul,” protected him at a time when he wasn’t ready to come out as gay publicly.
NBC / Via today.comNathan said he had been out since he was 21, but his film career brought new attention to his sexuality, which he wasn’t ready to discuss in a public declaration.
“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 said. “Although it was sort of unavoidable because of the nature of the film and the character.”
NBC / Via today.comUnfortunately, Oprah’s line of questioning about typecasting began to lead Nathan toward prematurely discussing his sexuality. A video of The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1996 shows how Robin perfectly interjects to protect Nathan’s privacy.
Bruce Glikas / FilmMagicWhen Oprah asks if Nathan is “afraid of taking that role and being, like, typecast and people forever saying, ‘Are you? Are you not?'” Robin jumps in with a hilarious impersonation of Oprah, giving him time to collect his thoughts.
United Artists / Getty ImagesNathan added, “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,'” Nathan said.
NBC / Via today.com, Vera Anderson / WireImage
“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.'”
Nathan explained how Robin “sort of swoops in and perts Oprah and goes off on a tangent and protects [him] because he was a saint.”
Harpo Productions“I just wasn’t ready to do that, to make this whole thing… the public side of it, the celebrity side,” Nathan reflected. “‘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.”
Dia Dipasupil / Getty ImagesAs for today, Nathan acknowledges our progress since he came out years ago. “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.”
Dia Dipasupil / Getty ImagesIn 1999, Nathan publicly came out as gay in an interview with the Advocate, where he referenced the Oprah interview and how Robin Williams “saw [his] face, and he jumped in and protected him.”
I will never forget the day Nathan Lane, one of my favorite actors from Mouse Hunt and The Birdcage, publicly came out, not too long after the murder of gay American student Matthew Shepard in 1998.
Lorey Sebastian / © United Artists / Courtesy Everett Collection, Harpo Productions
It was a moment that reminded me of the importance of living in your truth, despite the horrors of violence and bigotry brought upon the LGBTQIA community. Years later, I found the voice to come out publicly, but the actions of Nathan Lane and Robin Williams sat with me forever.
Nathan continues to have an illustrious acting career. He recently starred in the 2023 Broadway show Pictures from Home and Ari Aster’s upcoming A24 surrealist comedy horror Beau Is Afraid.
A24 / Via youtu.beWatch a short version of Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist here, or listen to the full podcast here.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. Other international suicide helplines can be found at befrienders.org. The Trevor Project, which provides help and suicide-prevention resources for LGBTQ youth, is 1-866-488-7386.
If you or someone you know has experienced anti-LGBTQ violence or harassment, you can contact the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs hotline at 1-212-714-1141.
Related News & Content
-
Use wp.media templates to create totally custom modal
Use wp.media templates to create totally custom modal,Following up on this answer I'm trying to determine how to create a modal with completely unique menu items/content than the media modal. If you add a new state you can add a new menu tab and hav... -
Get post by tag
Get post by tag,I want to get several post by tag. So I try to use get_posts() function: <?php $args = array( 'numberposts' => '3', 'post_status' => 'publish', 'tag' => 'travel' ); $ -
Elementor + ACF: How to insert dynamic JSON-LD formatted code into ACF field without sanitizing the script tag?
Elementor + ACF: How to insert dynamic JSON-LD formatted code into ACF field without sanitizing the script tag?,On a normal website, I am able to add JSON-LD structured data, such as below, into a Elementor HTML widget, in a proper way. However, as soon as I insert JSON-LD format into an ACF field (Textarea)... -
Gutenberg InnerBlocks noallowedblocks on parent but allowedblock on Child
Gutenberg InnerBlocks noallowedblocks on parent but allowedblock on Child,This is a continuation of the following post: Custom Gutenberg block with nested InnerBlocks renderAppender not displaying add button I solved one problem but created a different problem. I'm recr... -
Delay Issue: Using Wget with JSON Endpoint – Need Help Understanding Headers
Delay Issue: Using Wget with JSON Endpoint – Need Help Understanding Headers,On a WooCommerce website, I have a REST endpoint created with register_rest_route that returns a JSON response. To perform a routine with a certain frequency and urgency, I have added this instruct... -
How do I change top header background color
How do I change top header background color,Please refer to website: https://virginiafrank.com I cannot get the top header background color (or phone numbers) to change color. I would prefer the background gold and text black. I can't make t... -
How to display the_tags() as plain text
How to display the_tags() as plain text,the_tags by default is displaying as URL. I need to display it as plain text to insert inside HTML attribute. <?php $tag = the_tags(''); ?> <div class="image-portfolio" data-section... -
Give to site admin the option to "skip confirmation email" when adding new user
Give to site admin the option to "skip confirmation email" when adding new user,in wordpress multisite when we give to site admin the option to add new users, site admin dont have the "checkbox" to add the new user without sending the user email with link activation (see the -
Facing Hamas and Tehran, Israel is left with only vengeful madness | Opinion
Facing Hamas and Tehran, Israel is left with only vengeful madness | Opinion,Despite the Terrible Disaster on October 7, and the Failures It Exposed, Israel Is Still Convinced That the Image of the Mad Man Will Ensure Its Security -
Carol Kirkwood stuns in figure-hugging dress amid BBC Breakfast technical chaos
Carol Kirkwood stuns in figure-hugging dress amid BBC Breakfast technical chaos,CAROL Kirkwood stunned in a figure-hugging dress amid a technical blunder. BBC Breakfast was flung into chaos this morning after a string of sound issues. However Carol, 61, was all smiles as she p… -
Families ‘to sue prison’ where loud inmates ‘terrorise kids’ with screaming
Families 'to sue prison' where loud inmates 'terrorise kids' with screaming,Residents living next door to a new prison who say their kids have to sleep wearing headphones and some leave during weekends due to the racket are threatening to sue the prison service -
Doctor Strange’s Secret Wars Role May Be More Important Than You Thought – Looper
Doctor Strange's Secret Wars Role May Be More Important Than You Thought - Looper,According to entertainment leaker Alex Perez, Doctor Strange will find himself confronting his inner struggles as he headlines "Avengers: Secret Wars." -
‘It’s too revealing for a wedding’ people say as guest shares her dress with cut-outs & plunging neckline
‘It’s too revealing for a wedding’ people say as guest shares her dress with cut-outs & plunging neckline,A WOMAN has been mocked after sharing the summer dress she was considering wearing to nuptials. Attending someone’s big day can be just as stressful as organising the wedding ceremony –… -
Carl Weathers dead at 76: Rocky and Happy Gilmore actor mourned by family after dying ‘peacefully in his sleep’
Carl Weathers dead at 76: Rocky and Happy Gilmore actor mourned by family after dying ‘peacefully in his sleep’,ACTOR Carl Weathers has died at 76. Weathers, whose career spanned film and television, action and comedy, is best known for his role as Apollo Creed in the Rocky franchise, as well as his performa… -
‘What Jennifer Did’: Netflix doc explores shocking Ont. murder-for-hire case
'What Jennifer Did': Netflix doc explores shocking Ont. murder-for-hire case,Most of Jennifer Pan's entire life was made up of lies. When her parents began to catch on, she decided to bring in hired hitmen. -
What’s behind the lack of enthusiasm for this year’s music festivals?
What's behind the lack of enthusiasm for this year's music festivals?,The public sentiment about this year's crop of music festivals is an overwhelming "meh." There are good reasons for this. -
Biden might actually do something about ludicrously expensive concert tickets
Biden might actually do something about ludicrously expensive concert tickets,Why are Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift, and Bad Bunny tickets expensive? It might have something to do with Ticketmaster and LiveNation — leading to an expected federal antitrust lawsuit. -
How cars fuel racial inequality
How cars fuel racial inequality,Cars can facilitate freedom. They also drive discrimination.
Warning: file_get_contents(https://www.scienceradars.com/wp-output-content.php?pg=1&cat=&kw=&lvl=): Failed to open stream: HTTP request failed! HTTP/1.1 526 in /home/wwwroot/xuenou.com/wp-content/themes/chromenews/template-parts/content.php on line 169
Warning: file_get_contents(https://www.bayuexiang.com/wp-output-content.php?pg=1&cat=&kw=&lvl=): Failed to open stream: HTTP request failed! HTTP/1.1 526 in /home/wwwroot/xuenou.com/wp-content/themes/chromenews/template-parts/content.php on line 173
Skip to content
Breaking
Dave Chappelle vs. trans people vs. Netflix
How do you solve a problem like Joe Rogan?
Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender is everything fans hoped it would be
The internet isn’t happy with Vogue’s Kamala Harris cover
Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of the greatest TV shows ever made. Now it’s on Netflix.
Trending Now
Featured Posts
News
Posts Grid
Technology
Teens are increasingly depressed, anxious, and suicidal. How can we help?,There are good research-backed...
How AI could explode the economy,And how it could fizzle.
AI already uses as much energy as a small country. It’s only the beginning.,AI...
A hack nearly gained access to millions of computers. Here’s what we should learn...
Your AI personal assistant is almost here — assuming you actually want it,Big Tech...
Science
The devastating emotional impact of having your dog stolen revealed,New findings reveal that the...
