Matt Bomer Says He Lost Superman Role After Being Outed as Gay

Matt Bomer was very close to playing Superman.

The 46-year-old Fellow Travelers actor was set to play the DC superhero in a Warner Bros. movie back in the early 2000s, but he says he lost the role because he was outed as gay.

“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,” Matt recalled on THR’s Awards Chatter podcast.

“It looked like I was the director’s choice for the role,” Matt continued. “This is a very early iteration of Superman written by J.J. Abrams, called Superman: Flyby, I think is what it was called, and it never came to light.”

When asked if his sexuality was the reason why he lost the role, Matt 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, I don’t know, but yeah, that’s my understanding.”

Superman: Flyby was later shelved by Warner Bros. Instead, Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns was released in 2006 and starred Brandon Routh.

Matt publicly came out as gay when he thanked husband Simon Hall and their three sons during an acceptance speech for his Steve Chase Humanitarian Award.

It was recently announced that Matt and these two other stars will be returning for the White Collar reboot!