Nathan Lane Almost Starred Opposite Martin Short In “The Producers" | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

I have a tendency to squish things down. If things are good, I tend to just. squish it down, right? Like, okay, well, that was a nice thing that happened, but. let's just squish that down and put it. over here and not think about it and. stick to the work. And it's sort of kind. of a self flagagillating again, God. knows where this nonsense comes from. Uh, I suspect we know, but are you able. I would want this for you. I would want. you at this stage to be able to say, "Wow, I I have God, I've done so much.

good work and I am Nathan Lane or feel. some of that.". Well, you. and I think it might be hard for you. Sure. It's funny you say that. I had my. my husband was here visiting and we had. dinner. It was my I had a birthday. recently and we were sitting there and I. and I said to him, you know, I really. appreciate the maybe it's age. I just. appreciate I have a lot of gratitude for. what I've been able to accomplish with. the you know so much about luck and.

opportunity when it and you know as a. garden says be ready when the luck. happens and. but you you know I I the the amount of. of talented writers and actors and. directors I've gotten to work with and. and it's you know it's I'm very grateful. and and u and and it's something to. not only be proud of but just not that. you're resting on your laurels but you. feel like I you know I have accomplished.

something. uh yeah. and and and that it's meaningful to. people and that whether it's you know. the Lion King or the Bird Cage or these. you know huge that were huge things in. my life and that and they meant. something to someone is you know means. everything. Jumping back to. I was in New York doing the late night. show when the producers happened and it. was it was a cultural phenomenon. Yeah. That uh. rarely happens.

I mean it was a lightning strike but it. was more than that. It was there are. hits on Broadway, but something happened. and everyone agreed that this is the. greatest thing that's ever happened in. New York City. And it was lovely to be. around that. And then I remembered. thinking, "Oh, Jesus, you and Matthew. have to walk around and everybody wants. a ticket. every policeman, every guy who's there to open a manhole.

cover, you know, and they're not gonna. buy Nathan that you can't get them a. ticket. How what do you do about that? It was very The sanitation workers were. a big demographic for. um but. yeah, you know, that kind of thing. I. mean like you know there's Hamilton and. that was sort of another one but that. was I think that show was kind of it was. about obviously Mel Brooks you know.

Sure. Yeah. that genius and um but it. was also kind of a zeitgeist hit. You. know, you had come out of a long period. of, you know, dark British musicals and. there hadn't been anything that was kind. of a a return to old-fashioned musical. comedy. Apologetic, unapologetic, um, you know, you know, a sort of a. Valentine and yet satirical at the same. time. And, um, and with, you know, one.

of, uh, arguably one of the greatest. comic plots ever conceived. Yes. And so. we need this thing to fail, which is such a great idea, isn't it? It's just this the beauty of. that, you know, and I certainly was uh. this huge fan of of the film. I I. literally saw the film for the first. time in a revival house here in LA and. with an audience filled screaming their. heads off and I was like zero male. It. was I've never seen anyone so huge on.

screen. physically and emotionally. and yet. truthful. Yeah. And gritty and just hilarious and and. the combination of him and Gene Wilder. and and so the notion that when all of. that started to percolating, I started. to hear I he's writing a musical, David. Geffen is trying to talk him into. writing this musical based on the movie. And I thought, well, it is a backstage. story. It makes sense, you know. And um.

and then um uh somebody mentioned, you. know, they had talked to him about it. And then I was in this was this was the. weekend I I hate to mark it this way, but it was the weekend Princess Diana uh. died. Yeah. And my he wasn't my husband then, but my. my now husband and I were at the Ritz in. Paris. We went down to the pool and in. the pool was Mel Brooks and Anne. Bankraftoft. And my husband's favorite actress was. Anne Bankraftoft. And he turned to me.

and he said, "That's Anne Bankrooft." He. said, "I'm too nervous. I can't swim in. front of Anne Bankrooft." And he went. upstairs. So I said, "Okay." And then I. I went to the pool and I had met them. They This is like the benchmark laughter. on the 23rd floor. They came they had. come to see it because there was a. character based on Mel in the play. about which he said that character based. on me it's a tissue of lie. um.

anyway they were very great. but I loved it but I loved it anyway he. you know we we said hello and I got in. the pool and she Ann was swimming laps. she left and he stayed in the pool with. me which I thought odd. And then he uh. swam over to me and he said, "Um, I'm uh. working on a musical based on my movie, The Producers, and I think you and Marty. Short are the only two people in the.

world to play those parts." And I was. like, "Uh, wow." I said, "That would be. thrilling. I I would be so honored." And. then, uh, you know, time passed. He had. to write it. with Tom Man. And then um you know Marty. had just done uh you know brilliantly. little me won the Tony and he spent a. lot of time in New York didn't want to. be away from the family uh again that. long and so. someone brilliantly suggested Matthew. Brderick and and and I thought that's an.

you know in some ways that's a better. combination. Yes. you know, his energy and my energy. as it turned out it was. And um uh he was, you know, sensational. and and it was the beginnings of this. journey that we took together being in. the middle of that tornado. Yeah. And you you think, oh, you know, you. know, you'll never the hype, you know, how can you live up to the hype? And. then you know it was the the great thing.

as you said you know all these people. it's Barbara Walters and Kofi anon are. here after the show you you know you go. really well. it's Bishop Desmond Tutu loved it he's. coming up the stairs so you go wow. Mrs. O'Brien is here, Alan Greenspan. Yeah. And you know, was like people like that. You couldn't believe it. But the the. people I loved would be like Harvey. Corman. Sure. Coming back and saying when you did that.

little piece of physical comedy and you. go, "These are people who understand. what it is we're doing.". These are people that you watched. when you were a kid. Sure. To me, that was nothing will ever be more. magical than when I get to meet the. people that I saw. And sadly, there. there there aren't many left, but I saw. them on TV and they made me laugh when I. was 8, 9, 10, 12, 15. And if they noticed me in any way,

Yeah. and saw what I was doing and liked it, I think, okay, I can I can die now. Oh, sure. It's not going to get better. than this. Tim Conway, you know, met. him, you know, these people you idolized. or Carol, I mean, Carol Bernett, you know, came back and was like, she got. emotional and she said, you know, this. this reminds me of the old days of what. Broadway was like. And it's like you're, you know, Mel is throwing this huge. party and you and Matthew are the hosts.

and it's, you know, it just was, yeah, it was that the the especially in the. beginning that show, you know, the the. joy of it and the and the the anarchy of. it, like anything could happen. Yeah. Because it had that uh, you know, that. tone to it. Um, you know, but it's uh. Yeah, that's kind of a once in. a-lifetime thing when that. No, it's not cuz I've got a new idea. The sequel? Spartacus.

Oh, Spartacus. the musical. Spartacus the musical. And I think you're perfect. Not as Spartacus. No, I'm his lawyer. You know what? You all can't be called. Spartacus. There's a legal issue.