Nathan Lane Was Told ‘I Was Too Gay’ for ‘Space Jam’ Role of Michael Jordan’s Assistant, but Lane Was Relieved: ‘Thank God I Didn’t Have to Do It’
variety.comZack Sharf Digital News Director Nathan Lane said in an interview with Vanity Fair that he lost out on a role in 1996’s “Space Jam” and was told it was because he was just “too gay.” While Lane said he never knows “what goes on behind closed doors,” he “can’t help but think” that homophobia “played a part” in shaping the roles he could or couldn’t do.
He cited “Space Jam” as an example. “I was told [being gay 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,” Lane said of being up for the role of Michael Jordan’s publicist and assistant Stan, ultimately played by Wayne Knight in the movie. “I was up for that part.
Apparently the director saw me hosting the Tony Awards and thought that suggested I was too gay to play the part. So thank God, I didn’t have to do ‘Space Jam.'” “But I don’t know.
I’ll never know what people say,” Lane added. “Homophobia is alive and well still. Before I die, it would be lovely to get to play a juicy, serious supporting role in some film.
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