Matt Bomer glad he turned down Barbie role
Matt Bomer is glad he turned down the part of Ken in the 'Barbie' movie because it gave him more time to focus on his role in Bradley Cooper's film 'Maestro'.
Matt Bomer is glad he turned down a role in the 'Barbie' movie because it gave him more time to focus on 'Maestro'.
The 47-year-old actor was in talks to play Ken in Greta Gerwig's big screen film based on the beloved children's toy, but he walked away from the part and it went to Ryan Gosling instead - and Matt has now revealed he made the right choice because it allowed him to focus his energy on performing in Bradley Cooper's Leonard Bernstein biopic 'Maestro'.
He told Business Insider: "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."
He went on to reveal playing David Oppenheim in 'Maestro' was a profound experience and it totally changed the way he works as an actor, adding: "[It changed how I work] for probably for the rest of my career on film.
"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 [while shooting 'Barbie']."
Matt previously opened up about his experience trying out for 'Barbie' in an interview with Vanity Fair magazine.
He said of the audition process: "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."
Ryan Gosling, 43, played stereotypical Ken in the movie and Margot Robbie, 33, played the main Barbie. Other Kens were played by Simu Liu, Chris Taylor, Tom Stourton, Rob Brydon, John Cena, Scott Evans, and Ncuti Gatwa.
Luke Macfarlane, 43, also revealed he was previously considered for the role of Ken. However, landing the part of Charlie in TV series 'Platonic' got in the way.
He told The Hollywood Reporter: "Yeah, the timing couldn't work out for both. I'm not trying to sound boastful. It was a small, little part, but I've never been part of some beautiful, big, cool thing like that. It would have been cool to be able to do both."
Amy Schumer, 42, and Anne Hathaway, 41, were initially in talks with Sony and Mattel to star in a 'Barbie' film with a whole other story.
Amy admitted she was totally "bummed" to drop out of the movie, even though she had been targeted by trolls in the wake of her casting, an online attack which she laughed off with her usual wit.
In a statement, the funnywoman said: "Sadly, I'm no longer able to commit to 'Barbie' due to scheduling conflicts. The film has so much promise, and Sony and Mattel have been great partners. I'm bummed, but look forward to seeing Barbie on the big screen."
