Nathan Lane Loves Channeling an “Odd Little Man” on The Gilded Age

As the colorful Ward McAllister, Nathan Lane charms the society women of The Gilded Age with such ease that you might mistakenly assume little effort went into the role. But that deft command belies the Tony winner’s careful preparation for his part on Julian Fellowes’s American period drama. In addition to summoning a Savannah accent, Lane researched the real-life McAllister—a distant relative, through marriage, of 19th-century society queen Caroline Astor, who unsolicitedly appointed himself society’s arbiter. During a recent phone call, Lane explains that McAllister and Mrs. Astor “decided American society needed some guidance. They wanted to create their own… Read Full Article