Matt Bomer could’ve lost the Superman role for being gay

Matt Bomer recently revealed an intriguing story regarding his audition for Superman in the early 2000s. The actor, known for his role in “White Collar,” was considered for JJ Abrams’ never-realized film “Superman: Flyby.” Despite multiple auditions and even wearing the superhero’s suit, Matt Bomer was ultimately not cast, a choice he says was made due to his being gay. 

In a detailed podcast on The Hollywood Reporter‘s podcast, the actor expressed:

“I was auditioning again and again and again and flying out to New York and doing chemistry reads and flying out to LA and doing chemistry reads, back to New York, flying back to LA to do a screen test, and it looked like I was the director’s choice for the role.

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 “White Collar” star also confessed that his career took damage after he came out as gay. He told Attitude Magazine that his sexual orientation reveal was risky at the time, but he still wanted to do it to remain authentic to himself.

The film Matt Bomer could’ve started as Superman was transformed into Bryan Singer’s “Superman Returns” with Brandon Routh as the protagonist. The role was then taken by Henry Cavill, who starred “Superman” since Zack Snyder’s “Man of Steel,” reprising the character in multiple sequels. Ultimately, he was replaced by David Corenswet for James Gunn’s upcoming film.