Matt Bomer Spills the Real Reason He Turned Down a Role in Barbie!

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Matt Bomer didn’t have the Kenergy to star in Barbie amid his busy schedule.

After sharing some behind-the-scenes details, it was revealed that the actor opted to focus on his role in Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro” and spend time with his spouse Simon Halls and their children, rather than accepting a part as one of the many Kens in the movie.

Matt shared with Business Insider during an interview on April 10 that despite his smaller role in “Maestro”, Bradley was exceptionally collaborative with him right from the start. He explained that because it was such an engrossing experience, it felt like a huge difference to have only flown in from London for a short time to film scenes for “Barbie” and then immediately return to London. In his opinion, the entire experience of working on “Maestro” would have been very different for him if it hadn’t been as immersive.

The 47-year-old actor, who played Leonard Bernstein’s lover, David Oppenheim, in the biopic, underscored that this role significantly enriched his understanding of acting for drama, an insight he believes will greatly impact the remainder of his film career.

Ultimately, deciding to concentrate on the Netflix movie that received seven nominations at the 2024 Oscars, among them Best Picture, turned out to be his wisest decision.

Matt, father of Kit (age 20) and the 17-year-old twins Walker and Henry, noted that he was thankful for having experienced the work methodology. He mentioned that he might not have encountered it if he were only fitting it into his schedule.

The White Collar alum previously applauded the casting choices in the Greta Gerwig-directed film.

He expressed his hope to collaborate with Greta in the future, calling her extraordinary. This sentiment was shared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in December 2023. However, he also praised the movie they made, mentioning its flawless casting, and spoke about his experiences working on Fellow Travelers and Maestro, as well as spending quality time with his loved ones.

Matt may not have taken the opportunity in the end, but it doesn’t diminish the effort he put into his initial audition. This audition was crucial as the film went on to receive eight nominations at the 2024 Academy Awards and win Best Original Song for Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?”

Though Matt ultimately declined the opportunity, his initial efforts during the audition process were not in vain. The film, which eventually earned eight nominations at the 2024 Academy Awards and won Best Original Song for Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?”, was a result of his hard work.

In an interview with Vanity Fair in November 2023, he shared that he independently performed multiple roles of Kens and varied his attire for each one. To capture the dialogues of the other characters, he used a recorder and provided himself time to respond afterwards.

Now, read on to see all the Barbies and Kens who almost made it to Barbieland.

7 years prior to Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Barbie hitting the screens, a film adaptation of the renowned doll was actually under development at Sony, with a comedian slated for the project.

Previously in 2017, she explained that scheduling issues prevented her from appearing in the movie; however, more recently, she disclosed the true motivation for her departure.

She mentioned during a June 2023 episode of Watch What Happens Live that the reason for her absence was actually creative disagreements. However, she previously explained it as scheduling conflicts. Despite this, she expressed excitement about the new feminist and cool direction the movie is taking, implying that she will be watching it.

The feelings expressed by the star of the movie “Trainwreck” align with what she had earlier stated regarding the path she understood the project would take.

She informed the Hollywood Reporter in March 2022 that they had no intention of following her preferred method, which was the sole approach she found appealing.

She mentioned that she envisioned Barbie as an “inventor,” and shared that the studio had originally conceptualized one of her creations to be high heels made of Jell-O. Later, they sent her a pair of Manolo Blahnik shoes instead.

She said, “It seems as if that’s what every woman would desire in that moment, doesn’t it?” But I should have responded, “You’ve mistaken me for someone else.

Following Amy’s departure, I became part of the team replacing the comedian in 2018, with a planned release date set for 2020. However, towards the end of that year, Deadline confirmed that I was no longer associated with the project. Instead, it moved to Warner Bros., with Margot Robbie taking on the role of Barbie.

Initially, Margot, who is both actor and co-producer of “Barbie“, imagined the actress from “Wonder Woman” as the ideal choice to bring the Barbie universe to life.

Margot described Gal Gadot as having a “Barbie-like energy” to Vogue, explaining that despite her stunning beauty, there’s something about her sincerity and kindness that makes people not resent her for it. She added that this combination of qualities is almost endearing, bordering on being ‘dorky’.

Prior to the release of “Barbie”, the actress who starred in “Lady Bird” (and has worked extensively with Greta) shared that she had an opportunity for a unique role in the movie, but unfortunately, she was tied up filming “The Outrun” in Scotland during that time.

She shared with People that she had been planned for a cameo role since the movie crew were filming in London, where she resides. There was even a full character she was set to portray – another Barbie. However, she felt disappointed when she couldn’t carry out the role.

Besides Saoirse, it turns out that Greta was also eagerly anticipating the presence of Timothée Chalamet, who starred in Lady Bird, as the director disclosed.

As a die-hard fan, I would have shared the screen with Timmy in a unique appearance, but unfortunately, that didn’t work out for us both. It left me truly irritated! However, my admiration for them remains unwavering. Yet, it felt odd to be involved without them by my side. To clarify, I’m not their actual mom, but in a sense, I feel like one of them.

The former star of “Schitt’s Creek” couldn’t accept the part of a character named Ken because the cast was required to film for three months in London, as Allison Jones, the film’s casting director, shared with Vanity Fair.

In January 2024, the actor admitted to People magazine that he had tried his best but logistically, it wasn’t feasible for him to take part. In simpler terms, he was unable to participate due to scheduling conflicts.

He said, “It sometimes keeps me awake at night. It may not seem like it, but it feels as challenging as being part of one of the greatest films ever made. Yes, that day was incredibly difficult.

If Bowen Yang, another potential Saturday Night Live star, hadn’t been unavailable for filming, as per Allison’s reports…

Additionally, Ben Platt was another contender for the role of Ken, and, according to Allison’s disclosure, all three had expressed disappointment that they weren’t able to take on the part.

The former Glee star expressed a strong sense of disappointment instead of joy upon learning he wouldn’t land the role of Allan, which eventually went to Michael Cera.

Allison revealed that Jonathan Groff exclaimed, “I can hardly believe I’m saying this,” and she admitted, “I just can’t pull off the role of Allan.

The former “White Collar” actor put in a lot of effort during the movie audition, but in the end, he declined the part to concentrate on Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro” project and spend time with his partner Simon Halls and their children Kit, Walker, and Henry.

Matt shared with Business Insider during an interview on April 10 that despite his smaller role in “Maestro,” Bradley was incredibly collaborative from the start. He added, “The experience of working on ‘Maestro’ was so immersive that it felt almost surreal to jet in from London to film my scenes for ‘Barbie,’ and then fly back so quickly. It’s hard to imagine ‘Maestro’ would have been as enriching for me if not for this collaborative atmosphere.

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2025-04-11 19:00