In a recent episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, Matt Bomer opened up about what he describes as the “weaponization” of sexuality in Hollywood. According to Bomer, his sexual orientation allegedly cost him the lead role in the now-canceled DC film Superman: Flyby.
Bomer shared that he was initially chosen by the film’s director and had even signed a three-picture deal with Warner Bros. He said, “It looked like I was the director’s choice for the role. I signed a three-picture deal at Warner Bros.”
During the podcast, Bomer was asked if his sexual orientation impacted his casting decisions. He responded, “Yeah, that’s my understanding. That was a time in the industry when something like that could still really be weaponized against you. How, and why, and who [outed me], I don’t know.”
Interestingly, Bomer left his role on the CBS soap opera Guiding Light during the audition process for Superman: Flyby. He explained, “I went in on a cattle call for Superman, [which] turned into a one-month audition experience where I was auditioning again and again and again.” To accommodate the opportunity, the executive producer of Guiding Light wrote Bomer’s character off the show.
“On Guiding Light, there was a killer in town,” Bomer remembered. “The executive producer, very kindly, wanted to free me up just in case the [Superman] job came through. So [the Guiding Light producer] said, ‘Hey, you’re going to be the killer. We’re writing you off the show; go with my blessing.’ So, I basically got fired, but in a generous way.”
Ultimately, Superman: Flyby was shelved by Warner Bros., and the film directed by J.J. Abrams never came to fruition. Instead, Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns was released in 2006, starring Brandon Routh, another actor with a background in soap operas, as the iconic superhero.
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