10 Actors Who Lost Roles For Insane Reasons
5. Nathan Lane Was "Too Gay" - Space Jam
In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, the great Nathan Lane revealed he was originally up for a part in the iconic sports comedy Space Jam - namely, Michael Jordan's publicist and assistant Stan Podolak, as was eventually played by Seinfeld and Jurassic Park's Wayne Knight.
As for why Lane didn't get the role? He was told that director Joe Pytka saw him hosting the Tony Awards and consequently deemed him "too gay" to play the role.
Let's just process that for a second - too gay... for Space Jam?
It's tough to parse the logic there, and while Lane joked that at least he didn't have to star in Space Jam as a result, he added on a more serious note about the industry, "Homophobia is alive and well, still."
Ultimately Wayne Knight did a fine job playing MJ's oafish publicist, but the reasoning for rejecting Lane is really pig-headed at best.