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Nathan Lane had 'slight flirtation' with Gene Hackman in The Birdcage
Nathan Lane and Gene Hackman in 'The Birdcage.'
While promoting his upcoming Hulu sitcom Mid-Century Modern, Nathan Lane paid tribute to his costar in The Birdcage.
Legendary actor Nathan Lane went on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert where he talked about his relationship with another Hollywood legend, the late, great Gene Hackman.
Lane and Colbert started off joking about the recent SNL50 special, which they both attended, and mentioned that they met up in the men's bathroom.
"When I walked in, there was only one available urinal, and it was right next to you. I believe it was Freud who said there are no accidents," Lane joked.
Later, Colbert brought out a picture of Lane and the late actor Gene Hackman working together in the comedy The Birdcage and asked him what it was like to work with the film legend, whom Lane called "one of the greats of the screen."
"I think I told him every morning he was my favorite actor. And when we were shooting that dinner scene, we were all at a table for a whole week. So every morning I would tell him he was my favorite actor and I would say, 'Tell me about The Conversation. Tell me about Scarecrow, you and Pacino. He would go, 'Scarecrow? You liked Scarecrow?'"
"He was like Spencer Tracy, you couldn't catch him acting. He would do comedy or drama beautifully and he was such a smart actor and such, just you know it was the thrill of a lifetime to get to work with him."
"He was brilliant in comedy," Lane said, recalling a scene where their two characters were dancing and singing "I Could Have Danced All Night" from My Fair Lady.
"And I ad-libbed, I said, 'you know I played Eliza in high school,' and he said, 'I bet you were wonderful,' this kind of a slight flirtation going on there, which was hilarious."
Colbert also asked Lane's opinion on President Trump, including his taking over the Kennedy Center, to which Lane said "I don't want to be a downer, but I think from a historical context we are totally fucked."
"I mean, the Kennedy Center, he just couldn't keep his teeny tiny baby hands off it," Lane said. "Who knew Tump could cause more damage to the Kennedy name than RFK, Jr.?"
Lane then joked that Trump's new Kennedy Center schedule has things on it like "a youth choir made up entirely of Elon Musk's children," "Lee Greenwood's all-rap musical tribute to Ronald Reagan," and a new production of the Sound of Music "told from the point of view of the nazis."
"Trust me, you don't want to hear the list of their favorite things," he said.
"And if that wasn't enough, he just canceled an appearance by the Gay Men's Chorus, which upset a lot of people, especially all those conservative republicans on Grindr."
Elsewhere in the interview, Colbert asked Lane about his new Hulu sitcom Mid-Century Modern, in which he stars alongside Matt Bomer and Nathan Lee Graham as a group of three gay friends who move in together in Palm Springs.
"Some people have said it's the Gay Golden Girls, which sounds redundant," Lane said.
Mid-Century Modern premieres March 28 on Hulu.
Mey Rude is a journalist and cultural critic who has been covering queer news for a decade. The transgender, Latina lesbian lives in Los Angeles with her fiancée.
Mey Rude is a journalist and cultural critic who has been covering queer news for a decade. The transgender, Latina lesbian lives in Los Angeles with her fiancée.
