Nathan Lane and Mid-Century Modern Cast Share Memories of Late Co-star Linda Lavin

In the new Hulu sitcom Mid-Century Modern, three gay best friends decide to spend their golden years together in Palm Springs, moving in with the wealthiest of the group—who still lives with his mother. Hailing from Will & Grace creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick, the comedy stars Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer, and Nathan Lee Graham as the pals, with Linda Lavin as the cantankerous matriarch.

Lavin, 87, passed away in December 2024, shortly after being diagnosed with lung cancer. It was unexpected, and led to the creative team reworking the last two episodes of the season to give her a proper and fitting send-off.

With all episodes streaming now, we asked the stars and writers to share their favorite memories of Lavin, on set and off. Here’s what they had to say.

Nathan Lane
“One of the greatest stage performances I have ever seen was Linda in Broadway Bound, Neil Simon’s play, for which she won the Tony Award. She was the mother in the play, and she was always cleaning. She always had a rag and she used it to polish the dining room table. After a particularly challenging and emotional phone conversation she has with her mother, she hangs up the phone and then she sort of absentmindedly wipes the phone with this rag. And I broke down crying in the audience. I remember telling her that and she said ‘You know, I don’t know. There was no reasoning behind it. I just did it for the hell of it. But I’m glad you remember it that way.'”

Nathan Lee Graham
“I loved Alice. I would get up and shake my hips and sing that theme song, every time the show would come on. Skip to Broadway Bound. I saw her the night after she won the Tony. We all jumped to our feet the moment she came out on stage and wouldn’t stop clapping. And then in Gypsy at the St. James, where she replaced Tyne Daly and was one of the best Mama Roses, in my opinion. Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, The Lyons. Listen, everything she did was incredible. And then to work with her? Well, it doesn’t get any better than to literally sit across from her and do scenes. It’s just magical. I can’t say enough about it because it feels like an out-of-body experience to have worked with such an amazing artist. And she was truly that.”

Matt Bomer
“When I first came to New York and was penniless, I went and saw Allergist’s Wife twice. That’s how much I loved her. I barely had money to pay rent, let alone see the same Broadway show twice. So, coming into this, I was already a fan, but she was…She led by example. She was a genius in this medium and on stage and anything she did, really. She could act, she could play piano, she could sing, she could do drama, she could do comedy. But even more than that, she was so gracious and loving and supportive. She was in a beautiful place in her life and doing such brilliant work. I didn’t even know what her age was. I never thought to ask. She was just so vibrant and vital, and I’m so grateful that we got the time that we got with her. ”

David Kohan 
“The very first conversation I had with Linda Lavin was about my mother, and how there’s a lot in this character that’s based on my mother. She took an immediate interest and she asked me what she did. I told her she was a novelist, and she assured me that she would do everything to honor her, blah, blah, blah. A couple of weeks later, she comes up to me with a copy of my mother’s book that she found on eBay and asked if I would sign the book for her. She meant everything she said.”

Max Mutchnick
“During the pilot week, you’re just getting to know each other, and everybody’s got a big job to do. During the first episode of the series, it’s a little bit of an exhale and we can invest in one another. I walked onto the set, and she was sitting in the booth of a restaurant set, and I walked past her, and she said to me, ‘Look at me. I look like a fucking movie star.’ And she did. Linda was fine. She was a great-looking woman, and the idea that she was 87 when she was doing this, and as good as anybody else on stage, is unbelievable.”