Nathan Lane, an acclaimed actor with numerous awards, revealed in an interview that homophobia in Hollywood significantly affected his career opportunities. Though a trailblazer since his public coming out in 1999 and in roles like The Birdcage, Lane missed out on projects due to his sexuality. Specifically, he mentioned losing a part in Space Jam after a director perceived him as 'too gay.' Despite his success with The Birdcage, he felt it did not boost his subsequent career as he had hoped, citing industry attitudes towards openly gay actors.
I was told it did impact a movie that I didn't really care about: Space Jam. I was up for the part that the guy from Seinfeld wound up playing.
Apparently the director saw me hosting the Tony Awards and thought that suggested I was too gay to play the part.
Then The Birdcage came along. I thought perhaps because of the success of that, it'd lead to other films, but then it didn't.
Maybe if you weren't so open about your lifestyle, it would have.
Collection
[
|
...
]