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In 2023, Barbie lit up the box office, sparked a cultural wave and turned its cast of Kens into instant icons. Turning down a role in the pink-splashed, billion-dollar box office juggernaut might seem like a major misstep. For actor Matt Bomer, though it was the right call. He’s not losing sleep over it, and he recently explained just why that’s the case.
Matt Bomer has had plenty of major opportunities throughout the course of his career, and Barbie certainly would’ve been a nice notch in his belt. He spoke to Business Insider and opened up about why he walked away from the blockbuster. The Fellow Travelers star explained that he was originally in the running to play a Ken but ultimately declined the role to prioritize his family and give his full focus to his work on Bradley Cooper’s Maestro, a seven-time Oscar-nominated Leonard Bernstein biopic. Bomer explained his rationale with the following sentiments:
Even though my part in ‘Maestro’ was smaller, Bradley was so collaborative with me from the get-go. And 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.
The 47-year-old actor played David Oppenheim, Bernstein’s lover, in the film, and despite the smaller screen time, he described the experience as “life-changing.” Ultimately, the intense creative environment and emotional weight of the project were things Bomer didn’t want to dilute by splitting focus. He continued:
It was a way of working that I’m really grateful that I got to be exposed to. I wouldn’t have, I think, if I were trying to just squeeze it in.
That choice meant missing out on being part of a viral pop culture moment like Barbenheimer, which collectively grossed over $1 billion worldwide and dominated every conversation from the box office to the Oscars. Still, I appreciate the Bomer stuck to his creative guns, and I’m happy he has no regrets.
In the years since, Barbie hit the big screen, a number of the Ken actors have opened up about their experiences. Many of them seemed to have enjoyed take on the humorously over-the-top characters. However, Simu Liu did recently recall having to wax for the film, and it doesn’t sound all that pleasant. Still, Liu and others like Kingsley Ben-Adir and Ncuti Gatwa were able to be a part of a cultural movement — and even took part in the Oscars performance of “I’m Just Ken.”
I’ve not doubts that Matt Bomer would’ve made an awesome Ken as well. At this point, it doesn’t look like a Barbie sequel happening, but maybe there’s hope for a Ken-centric spinoff in which Bomer could play a role. After all, director Greta Gerwig admitted that there was a lot of Ken material that didn’t make the final cut.
Still, an industry that’s always chasing the latest trends, Bomer stands out with his intentional choices, which are becoming pretty rare. He might not be a Ken, but he’s definitely Zen, which might honestly be the coolest role to have.
You can check out Matt Bomer in Maestro, which is streamable with a Netflix subscription. Also, those looking to check out Barbie can do so by streaming it on Max.