In the early 2000s, Matt Bomer, known for his leading role in the series “White Collar”, was one step away from becoming the Man of Steel in the film ‘Superman: Flyby’; however, an unexpected and unfortunate reason stood in his way: his sexual orientation.
In a revealing interview for The Hollywood Reporter’s “Awards Chatter” podcast, Bomer shared details about his experience auditioning for the role of Clark Kent.
Bomer explained that director Brett Ratner considered him the perfect choice for the role, but just when the role was almost his, everything went backwards.
Matt Bomer accuses discrimination for being gay
Matt Bomer assured that despite his great talent and the fact that he fit perfectly with the physical characteristics of “Superman,” he was rejected for the role because the production team found out that he was gay.
Let’s be honest… in those years, Hollywood still had a somewhat backward mentality in relation to diversity and inclusion, something that not only Bomer suffered, but many other artists.
“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.”
The actor’s version was confirmed a few years ago, in 2012, by author Jackie Collins, who since then revealed that Matt did not get the role of Superman because the producers found out about his sexual orientation.
“They said, ‘No, no, we can’t cast you.’ The reason he didn’t get cast was because he was gay.”
However, karma soon struck the project as ‘Superman: Flyby’ eventually fell apart, and after several directing changes, the film evolved into ‘Superman Returns’ in 2006, with Brandon Routh as the lead.
Although Bomer was unable to play the famous superhero, his career continued to rise with powerful performances in series such as ‘White Collar’ and ‘American Horror Story,’ and in films such as ‘The Normal Heart,’ for which he won a Globe. Gold.
Matt Bomer came out publicly in 2012 and has since become an important voice for the LGBTQ+ community in Hollywood.
