Jun 12
Matt Bomer: Being Gay Was Kryptonite to My 'Superman' Chances
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Forget the big red "S" – it was a scarlet letter of a different kind that brought down a high-flying prospect for Matt Bomer in the early 2000s, the "Fellow Travelers" star says.
According to Bomer, the fact that he is gay cost him the chance to portray the greatest superhero of them all, Entertainment Weekly reports, even though he was not publicly out at the time.
Bomer told the podcast THR's Awards Chatter that when Brett Ratner was poised to helm a film called "Superman: Flyby" in 2002, he was the frontrunner to don the bright red cape.
"I went in on a cattle call for Superman, and then it turned into a one-month audition experience where I was auditioning again and again and again," EW quoted Bomer as saying on the podcast.
"It looked like I was the director's choice for the role," Bomer added, going on to say that he lost the prospect of starring in not just one, but three, films when he was dropped from the nascent project.
A similar take on Bomer not having landed the role was offered by Jackie Collins in 2012, EW recalled, detailing that in remarks to Gaydar Radio Collins claimed that "somebody didn't like him" and outed Bomer, who in 2012 was starring in "White Collar," to the film's producers.
"They said, 'No, no, we can't cast you'," Collins said the producers responded. "The reason he didn't get cast was because he was gay."
EW confirmed that Ratner had wanted Bomer for the project, but, the outlet recounted, "the studio reportedly wanted a bigger star like Brendan Fraser, which ultimately led the director to leave the project."
Rattner's departure is an alternate explanation for Bomer's not being cast, though the point is effectively moot since the film, penned by J.J. Abrams, was never made. Bryan Singer's "Superman Returns" was the "Superman" film that finally flew to screens in 2006.
EW recalled that E! reported in 2012 that the story of Bomer being dropped for being gay inaccurate, citing an unnamed source who claimed Ratner "would never have not cast Matt because he's gay.
"Brett knew Matt was gay," the source told E!. "They're good friends. Matt not being Superman had nothing to do with his sexuality. It was because the director changed."
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
