Actor Matt Bomer remains frustrated about not being cast as Clark Kent/Superman, attributing the decision to his sexuality.
This week the Fellow Travelers star was a guest on the Hollywood Reporter podcast Awards Chatter, where around the 19:45-minute mark of the episode he discusses being given the opportunity for a major role that eventually soured.
"Basically, 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," he said.
The auditioning process turned into multiple trips for chemistry reads, from New York to Los Angeles, where Bomber thought it was plausible that he was the "director's choice."
“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," he continued.
At the same time, Bomer was being phased out of the soap opera Guiding Light. The executive producer advised him to pursue the Superman role, and Bomer even signed a three-picture deal with Warner Bros.
Bomer kept his sexual orientation private at the time and alleges that being gay was the reason he missed out on the opportunity. He would later come out in 2012.
"That was a time in the industry when something like that could still really be weaponized against you," he added. "How, and why, and who, I don’t know, but yeah, that’s my understanding."
Brandon Routh was cast as the lead in the 2006 film Superman Returns. He later reprised the role in episodes of The Flash on the CW. Henry Cavill succeeded Routh as part of the DC Universe, and David Corenswet is set to make his debut as the Man of Steel in James Gunn's Superman next year.
