Nathan Lane appeared on ‘The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon.’ Jimmy Fallon praised the actor for his success on ‘Only Murders In The Building.’ The veteran Broadway actor won an Emmy for his guest-starring role in the Hulu series. After another round of laughter, the host asked about his experiences working on the film ‘Beau Is Afraid‘ with Joaquin Phoenix.

Nathan Lane discussed his new Broadway play ‘Pictures From Home,’ based on a photo memoir. Toward the end of the interview, he told Jimmy Fallon about Joaquin Phoenix not keeping direct eye contact with him. Was Joaquin Phoenix being obnoxious to his co-star, or was it a decision to make his performance better?

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Nathan Lane Made Joaquin Phoenix Break Character On ‘Beau Is Afraid’

Nathan Lane’s appearance on ‘The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon‘ was comedic gold. He made jokes about everything topical without missing any beat, even taking a few friendly punches at Jimmy Fallon. The audience seems enthralled by Nathan Lane, and so does Joaquin Phoenix. The Oscar-winning actor told Nathan Lane he couldn’t directly look during the making of ‘Beau Is Afraid.‘

Joaquin Phoenix found Nathan Lane hilarious to the point of breaking his steadfast concentration. Hence, the actor had to find a way to not break his character on set. Nathan Lane told Jimmy Fallon that he and Joaquin got along, despite having different sensibilities. He said Fallon, “But he thought I was funny. So every time we did a take, you know, he would say, “I can’t look you directly in the eyes, or I’ll break up.“

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All About Joaquin Phoenix’s Ari Aster Character In Surreal Comedy ‘Beau Is Afraid’

After traumatizing audiences with ‘Hereditary‘ and ‘Midsommar,’ Ari Aster returns with another nightmare, ‘Beau Is Afraid.’ It stars Joaquin Phoenix as a nervous adult named Beau. He becomes a victim of endless nightmares that prevent him from visiting his overbearing mother. The film marks the first collaboration between Joaquin Phoenix and Ari Aster.

Ari Aster writes and directs ‘Beau Is Afraid.’ Nathan Lane is part of the cast, including Patti LuPone, Amy Ryan, Kylie Rogers, Parker Posey, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Hayley Squires, Michael Gandolfini, Zoe Lister-Jones, and Richard Kind. ‘Beau Is Afraid‘ has a theatrical release date of April 21, 2023.

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