Nathan Lane explains how Robin Williams helped him to come out as gay
Actor Nathan Lane has shared how Robin Williams helped him as he made the brave decision to publicly come out as gay in the 1990s.
By now, Nathan Lane is a well-known name. Since his breakout in the mid-1970s, he’s worked across the worlds of both stage and screen as a theatre and film actor. His work in projects like the Broadway play of The Producers, films like Nicholas Nickelby or recent TV appearances in shows such as Only Murders In The Building, have earned him a long list of awards and acolades.
In 1997, his role in The Birdcage earned him a Golden Globe nomination, but it wasn’t only the film’s success that changed his life and stuck with him. Instead, it was the personal impact that his co-star Robin Williams had on him that Lane still recognises and shares his gratitude for today.
The two actors starred alongside each other in the film, playing a gay couple. At the time, Lane’s own sexuality was being kept as a private secret before he officially came out in 1999. Now, he claims that Williams supported his bravery during their time on that film set.
As part of his acceptance speech at the Celebration of LGBTQ+ Cinema & Television event, Lane thanks the late actor as a vital influence on his life, recalling the advice and support he gave him on that film set.
“I had expressed my fears beforehand to the late, great Robin Williams,” Lane said. “He kindly said to me, ‘Don’t worry, Nathan, you don’t have to discuss it if you’re not ready’.”
When the film was then released, it felt like the public eye was turned to Lane’s sexuality. Having just played a gay man in the film, the actor claims that Williams stepped up as a protective and supportive force. His co-star helped to shield the actor from difficult questions or hard moments as he deliberated revealing his sexuality. “He went on to protect me whenever he could throughout the awkward moments,” he said.
In particular, he remembered one interview during the film’s press circuit with Oprah Winfrey. “She was like, ‘How come you’re so good at that girlie stuff? Are you worried about being typecast?’” the actor said, feeling like the talk show host was getting too close to the secret he was holding. “And then Robin sort of swoops in and diverts Oprah, goes off on a tangent and protects me because he was a saint.”
Thinking fondly about his old friend, co-star and supporter, Lane remembers Williams as “just the greatest person”, stating that he was “a beautiful, sensitive soul and so kind and generous to me.”
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