The luminous Nathan Lee Graham plays Arthur Broussard on Hulu's Mid-Century Modern — a Black gay man whose long-term husband passed away and whose career as a high-profile editor at a prestigious fashion magazine came to an end. Unconventionally, Arthur isn't sappy, tortured, or even icy. He is hard-headed and self-assured, but also lovely, wise, joyous, and fun.
Through his roles as Todd in the Zoolander films, Frederick in 2002's Sweet Home Alabama, and Clive DeWitt in 2023's Theater Camp, Graham has proven that he's the man of a thousand face journeys. In a sitcom like Mid-Century Modern, Graham shows that he can also deliver a joke like nobody's business. A Gen X-er would remark on the character's poise. A millennial would write that Graham's performance is fierce. A Gen Z-er would post that Arthur is serving, henny every time he's on screen.
But Graham — along with cast mates Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer, and Linda Lavin — also show a lot of heart as unconventional housemates and found family in their Palm Springs abode.
"The way these characters start off being real people is that they're written that way," Graham says. "And then, hopefully, I meet our incredible writers somewhere in the middle, and it becomes a wonderful marriage of all these talents. I'm so grateful to be a part of it, and to have a fully fleshed-out character with real dimensions."
Having three-dimensional portraits of characters once marginalized (or nonexistent) in the television landscape is also significant. As the Hollywood visibility of women over 50, once seen rarely in complex lead roles through exceptions like The Golden Girls, gets fashionably updated on TV shows like And Just Like That…, there's something even more radical and refreshing about watching this trio of golden gays on Mid-Century Modern.
"The show has this mixture of ages and generational ideas, which is really exciting," Graham says. "We have someone in their late 40s [Bomer,] someone in their late 50s [Graham], and someone in their late 60s [Lane], and that's what Mid-Century Modern is. If you don't plan on kicking the bucket anytime soon, it's nice to see people living their best lives throughout these ages. It's wonderful to see us having a great time communicating with each other, and loving on each other, through all the stages."
In fact, the world has never seen a sitcom on this scale centered on three aging gay men living their best lives — and boasting an A-list creative team like creators Max Mutchnick and David Cohen, legendary director James Burrows, and executive producer Ryan Murphy. This representation is significant.
"We're all different ages, but we are all aging," Graham notes. "None of us are in our 20s or 30s. This is huge for our community. To see men thriving, and alive, and living — being their best, quirky, campy, fabulous selves, and going through the machinations of being a human being and growing older… but growing older together. And when bad things happen, that's because it's life, right? My life really does reflect so much of what the show represents."
Matt Bomer, Nathan Lane, and Nathan Lee Graham on 'Mid-Century Modern.'Disney/Christopher Willard
Despite having a long list of credits on stage and screen, Graham thinks that Arthur is the most similar character to his own self that he's ever played.
"This was the first time that I felt like, 'Wow, this is sort of reflective of my actual life.' I don't have to pretend beyond the character I'm playing and what he does. It feels so natural, and it feels so wonderful. I mean, there's certainly a lot of acting going on; we have a lot of lines, and it's a situation comedy!" Graham laughs. "But my comfort level in just displaying behavior in front of people is a wonderful thing to have. It's a gift."
Watching Mid-Century Modern for the first time feels like seeing the pilot for Cheers, The Golden Girls, or Friends. Though you recognize the three actors who are playing these characters and see that they're on a set filming a sitcom, there's something just magical in the chemistry of this trio. They authentically feel like longtime friends — although it was a different story for the actors.
"Well, first of all, we all just met. I think none of us had actually worked together," Graham recalls. "But we were all fans of each other's work already, which was super important."
"We're also all from the stage, so there's this unspoken bond that you immediately have with other people who are from the theater,” he adds. “We don't have a lot of time in rehearsal to bond, so we just immediately go and say, OK, I'm vulnerable. I love you. Let's be intimate. Let's take all our clothes off and be intimate, because we don't have a lot of time to make the best fucking show this could possibly be.' There was no sort of pretense."
Graham reflects on how they approached the pilot enthusiastically while recognizing the limitations of a filming schedule. "There were no attitudes. There was no ego. Just, 'Let's go in there and have a ball.' That's the attitude we've had from the start. Matt and Nathan are such joys to work with. Pamela Adlon, who's come into our show [and plays Nathan’s sister], as well — she's a fucking dream come true. And then, of course, Linda Lavin is, our spiritual showrunner. What an absolute pro, a divine thing, to have worked with her."
Nathan Lee Graham and Linda Lavin on 'Mid-Century Modern.'Disney/Chris Haston
The legendary Lavin — who played Sybil Schneiderman, Bunny's mother, on Mid-Century Modern — died last December at age 87 during production, and her passing is tackled on the show.
"She's still here. The spirit of Linda is still here," Graham declares. "She's guiding us. She's the puppet master. She's still with us. One thing about Linda was that she was so supportive. She literally worked from the age of five 'til 87, until the moment she died. And literally worked."
He adds, "When you have someone who really knows the business that well, who is truly legendary, and giving, and supportive, and in the moment… It's easy to work with that person. You already feel safe. You already trust them. Whatever happens in the moment, she's going to pick up and toss the ball back to you, and it's going to go back and forth. I'm just so proud, and so honored, and it never escapes me that her last scenes were with me."
What does Graham hope that viewers of Mid-Century Modern will walk away with?
"Feeling good about themselves," he says, not missing a beat. "I want people to feel good about themselves. I want them to enjoy the 30, 28, 22, 25, 26, 34, 40 minutes of each episode [laughs] and, for a moment, to really have a good time…. I want them to realize that they actually do matter. They actually are seen. They can have a good time and not feel guilty about it. They can lean into the joy."
"There's this wonderful thing about being a joyful warrior, and I believe in it," Graham says. "You should work on loving yourself, and lean into it, and just have a good time watching this show. It's a lovely joy bomb. Let it be a part of your self-help, and finding your self-worth. This is some good old medicine, right?"
Mid-Century Modernis now streaming on Hulu.
Mid-Century ModernDisney/Pari Dukovic
