Current:Home > BackMatt Bomer Says He Lost Superman Movie Role Because of His Sexuality-LoTradeCoin
Matt Bomer Says He Lost Superman Movie Role Because of His Sexuality
View Date:2024-12-24 10:56:39
With a long list of film and TV credits and several award-winning performances, Matt Bomer has had a super career.
But the Fellow Travelers star recently shared that two decades ago, he lost out on the role of Superman—for which he said he spent several months going through auditions, screen tests and chemistry reads.
"It looked like I was the director's choice for the role," Bomer said on the June 10 episode of The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast. "This was a very early iteration of Superman written by J.J. Abrams called Superman: Flyby, I think is what it was called. It never came to light."
At the time, the actor was appearing on the soap opera Guiding Light. However, he said an executive producer "very kindly" wrote him off the show in case he was cast as Clark Kent in the film, which was originally set to be directed by Brett Ratner.
And Bomer noted it seemed like the role was his as he "had signed a three-picture deal at Warner Bros." But the 46-year-old—who publicly came out as gay in 2012—said his sexuality appeared to be part of the decision to go in a different direction.
"Yeah, that's my understanding," Bomer shared. "That was a time in the industry when something like that could still really be weaponized against you. How and why and who I don't know. But yeah, that's my understanding."
E! News has reached out to Warner Bros. for comment but has yet to hear back.
While the film Bomer auditioned for was never made, Bryan Singer ended up directing the 2006 film Superman Returns starring Brandon Routh.
Though Bomer wasn't cast as the Man of Steel, he's starred in several film and TV series, including Fellow Travelers, Magic Mike, White Collar, In Time and The Normal Heart—with him winning a Golden Globe and receiving an Emmy nomination for his work in the latter.
And in a 2020 interview, he spoke about what it was like for him to come out when he did.
"I came out at a time when it was very risky to do so—I had a studio film that was about to premiere, and a television series coming out," Bomer—who shares three kids with husband Simon Halls—told Attitude. "But to me it was more important to be my most authentic self, both for my family, and for myself."
He added, "I wasn't trying to be a role model, nor am I now, but I thought if it could help just one person, then it would be worth it. But to say that didn't cost me certain things in my career would be a lie. It did."
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News AppveryGood! (249)
Related
- Louisiana asks court to block part of ruling against Ten Commandments in classrooms
- Tesla recalls nearly 363,000 cars with 'Full Self-Driving' to fix flaws in behavior
- Ariana Grande Kicks Off 30th Birthday Celebrations Early With This Wickedly Festive POV
- Why Kristin Cavallari Isn't Prioritizing Dating 3 Years After Jay Cutler Breakup
- Contained, extinguished and mopping up: Here’s what some common wildfire terms mean
- Inside Clean Energy: In South Carolina, a Happy Compromise on Net Metering
- A U.S. Virgin Islands Oil Refinery Had Yet Another Accident. Residents Are Demanding Answers
- More than 300,000 bottles of Starbucks bottled Frappuccinos have been recalled
- Former West Virginia jail officer pleads guilty to civil rights violation in fatal assault on inmate
- The debt ceiling, extraordinary measures, and the X Date. Why it all matters.
Ranking
- Food prices worried most voters, but Trump’s plans likely won’t lower their grocery bills
- Twitter will limit uses of SMS 2-factor authentication. What does this mean for users?
- What we know about Rex Heuermann, suspect in Gilgo Beach murders that shook Long Island more than a decade ago
- Off the air, Fox News stars blasted the election fraud claims they peddled
- Federal judge blocks Louisiana law that requires classrooms to display Ten Commandments
- Mission: Impossible co-star Simon Pegg talks watching Tom Cruise's stunt: We were all a bit hysterical
- As Oil Demand Rebounds, Nations Will Need to Make Big Changes to Meet Paris Goals, Report Says
- Sarah Jessica Parker Weighs In on Sex and the City's Worst Man Debate
Recommendation
-
Tesla issues 6th Cybertruck recall this year, with over 2,400 vehicles affected
-
As the US Rushes After the Minerals for the Energy Transition, a 150-Year-Old Law Allows Mining Companies Free Rein on Public Lands
-
Stars of Oppenheimer walk out of premiere due to actors' strike
-
Hilaria Baldwin Admits She's Sometimes Alec Baldwin's Mommy
-
The Fate of Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager's Today Fourth Hour Revealed
-
Suspect charged in Gilgo Beach serial killings cold case that rocked Long Island
-
When an Oil Company Profits From a Pipeline Running Beneath Tribal Land Without Consent, What’s Fair Compensation?
-
DWTS’ Peta Murgatroyd and Maks Chmerkovskiy Share Baby Boy’s Name and First Photo