Matt Bomer Gets Candid About Dropping Barbie’s Ken Gig

Summary:

• Greta Gerwig's Barbie has become one of the most talked-about films of 2023.
• Released alongside Christopher Nolan 's Oppenheimer, it created one of the biggest cultural phenomena of the year, the Barbieheimer.
• Ryan Gosling was praised for his portrayal of Ken, but he wasn't the only contender for the role.

It's undeniable that 2023 could be called the year of Barbie when it comes to movies. Greta Gerwig's interpretation of Mattel's most popular blonde doll has gained massive popularity among many viewers around the world. Not only that, but it also happened to teach everyone in the industry a valuable lesson about the importance of promotion.

Everyone knew about Barbie and Oppenheimer's release, and everyone talked about it in one way or another. Brands were quick to join this celebration of traditional femininity, dropping everything pink imaginable so that audiences could, at least for a moment, imagine themselves in Barbie land.

One of the best parts of the promotion was the large cast of different Barbies and Kens that came together to show how relatable the dolls really are. Thanks to children's imaginations and the company's efforts to make them diverse, Barbie can look any way you want her to look and do anything you want her to do. The same goes for Ken.

But as it turns out, not every Ken who wanted to appear made it into the movie. Some just had to drop out halfway through.

Matt Bomer Barbie Audition

One of the actors so immaculately handsome and charming that would make Ken as perfect as Ryan Gosling is Matt Bomer. The actor, who is now actively promoting his new project, Fellow Travellers, in which he stars opposite Bridgerton 's Jonathan Bailey, has opened up about his own struggles to get into Greta Gerwig's film.

The role took a lot more effort than you might think, but that wasn't what put the actor off. If anything, he took on the challenge and auditioned with all seriousness.

“I recorded it on my own, played a bunch of different Kens—and I dressed differently for all of them. I recorded the lines of the other person’s dialogue on my recorder and then gave myself space to respond,” Bomer recalled to Vanity Fair.

Not only did the actor get to talk to Greta Gerwig about the role, but he was inches away from securing it. The real problem for Matt Bomer was being away from his family for so long. As intriguing and promising as the success of Barbie was, he just couldn't do it and had to walk away.

Luckily for the actor, this was far from the end of his career. Bomer's filmography continues to flourish, as he has already received acclaim for his performance as Hawkins Fuller in Fellow Travellers, and is gearing up for the streaming release of Maestro, in which he co-stars with Bradley Cooper.

If you are interested in seeing the actor's latest performance, you can stream Fellow Travellers now on Paramount Plus. Maestro will be available to stream on Netflix on December 20.

Source: Vanity Fair