Matt Bomer could’ve appeared in not just one, but two Oscar best picture nominees in 2023 had he decided he had ken-ough time between “Maestro” and “Barbie.” The “Mid-Century Modern” star has previously shared that he had auditioned to play one of the Kens in Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster comedy, but eventually exited talks to spend time with his family. Speaking with Business Insider, the actor reveals that he also decided to step away from “Barbie” to have more time to focus on Bradley Cooper’s Leonard Bernstein biopic “Maestro.”
“Even though my part in ‘Maestro’ was smaller, Bradley was so collaborative with me from the get-go,” Bomer said. “It was such an immersive experience that to have just flown in from London to film my scenes [in ‘Barbie’] really quick and fly back to London — I feel like ‘Maestro’ wouldn’t have been the same experience for me.”
In “Maestro,” Bomer played David Oppenheim, a lover to Cooper’s Bernstein. Though Bomer’s role is largely contained to the film’s first half, Bomer expressed to BI that his time on “Maestro” had a profound impact, changing his working approach “for probably for the rest of my career on film.”
“It was a way of working that I’m really grateful that I got to be exposed to,” Bomer said. “I wouldn’t have, I think, if I were trying to just squeeze it in.”
Bomer previously revealed to Vanity Fair that he had sent in a self-tape for “Barbie,” saying that “I recorded it on my own, played a bunch of different Kens — and I dressed differently for all of them. I recorded the lines of the other person’s dialogue on my recorder and then gave myself space to respond.”
Bomer currently stars alongside Nathan Lane and Nathan Lee Graham on Hulu’s new comedy series “Mid-Century Modern.” From the creators of “Will & Grace,” the series follows the three gay men suddenly living together after an unexpected death. Variety chief TV critic Aramide Tinubu praised the series, writing that it “offers more than a few laugh-out-loud moments, a new portrayal of golden-age friendships and some genuinely delightful guest stars.