Nathan Lane: Rob Williams Protected Me From Comg Out as Gay - Variety

Contents:

• NATHAN LANE: ROB WILLIAMS ‘PROTECTED ME’ FROM COMG OUT AS GAY ON ‘OPRAH’ 1996 BEE ‘HE WAS A SAT’
• NATHAN LANE WAS DATG HIS HBAND BEFORE HE PUBLICLY CAME OUT AS GAY

NATHAN LANE: ROB WILLIAMS ‘PROTECTED ME’ FROM COMG OUT AS GAY ON ‘OPRAH’ 1996 BEE ‘HE WAS A SAT’

Nathan Lane revealed on “Sunday Today” that Rob Williams once protected him om g out as gay agast his will on natnal televisn.

The year was 1996 and Lane and Williams were on their prs tour for Mike Nichols’ “The Birdge, ” which they play a gay uple tryg to marry off their son to a nservative uple’s dghter. Lane was nervo about dog an terview on “The Oprah Wey Show” as “The Birdge” was one of his first major film rol, and he did not want to e out publicly as gay at the time.

NATHAN LANE WAS DATG HIS HBAND BEFORE HE PUBLICLY CAME OUT AS GAY

“And I certaly wasn’t ready to go om table-to-table and tell them all I was gay. Of urse, Lane knew that playg a gay character the film would make discsg his sexualy real life “sort of unavoidable, ” but he still wasn’t ready to do so. I’m not prepared to discs that I’m gay on natnal televisn.

“Now you have to make a public statement about — I was terrified… It’s great that everyone now feels fortable but homophobia is alive and well and there are plenty of gay people who are still hidg. Later, the hband was also seen workg televisn shows like Sabra the Teenage Wch and Lane Was Qutned If He was GayThe gay actor me out the late 1990s after gag worldwi fame wh his work the h edy flick The Birdge. "The actor thought he'd already e out, but apparently, that wasn't the se the public 1999, the actor fally revealed to the world that he was gay by dog an exclive terview wh The his bemement, people felt annoyed after learng his sexual actor said there was no wng as they red ls, however, he was terrified bee of the experience.

Gay.