The actor on growg up gay bible belt Texas, what his new film says about the progrs of LGBTQ+ rights – and what he learned om his son g out as straight
Contents:
- MATT BOMER ON BEG GAY: 'MAGIC MIKE' STAR TALKS ABOUT HIS SUBTLE COMG OUT
- MAGIC MIKE'S MATT BOMER TALKS ABOUT BEG OUT AS GAY: WHAT BROUGHT HIM TO TEARS?
MATT BOMER ON BEG GAY: 'MAGIC MIKE' STAR TALKS ABOUT HIS SUBTLE COMG OUT
Adapted om Mart Crowley’s 1968 play, a staple of the gay non, tak place entirely at a birthday party thrown by Michael (Jim Parsons) for his imper iend Harold (Zachary Quto). That productn, which went on to w the Tony for bt revival of a play, was a mor breakthrough: boasted an entirely out gay st, the same one that has been rned for the film versn.
Not that Bomer thks such rol should be played only by gay performers. Photograph: Everett/REX ShutterstockAs someone who grew up gay the 1980s and 1990s, he is stck by the generatnal difference attus today. It was not an environment where was safe to be gay.
The actor, who realized he was gay while performg classics such as Romeo and Juliet and Joseph and the Amazg Technilor Dreamat at the Utah Shakpeare Ftival, knew tellg his parents would be a challenge. "After notg that he had been moved "to tears" after beg approached by a gay ary officer who thanked him for g out, Bomer add: "What we really have to do is stop the adjective before the job tle—whether 's 'black actor, ' a 'gay actor' or 'anythg actor. Actor Matt Bomer, known for his rol Whe Colar, Amerin Horror Story and Magic Mike, among others, jt got unually ndid when discsg the effect g out as gay had on his reer.
MAGIC MIKE'S MATT BOMER TALKS ABOUT BEG OUT AS GAY: WHAT BROUGHT HIM TO TEARS?
“There are fely more opportuni for gay actors than ever before, but there’s still a price to pay for beg out, ” Bomer told the magaze. “We’re livg a day and age where there are actors and athlet and public figur who are openly gay and have been unaaid to acknowledge that. The stage versn and subsequent film are notable for featurg an all-openly gay st.
“It was such a eeg experience to get to tell a story wh an entirely gay ensemble and creative team, ” Bomer op. “There are often tim on set where I am the only openly gay person there, and I’ve learned how to manage that and do the work — but was so nice to have this llective experience together and a shared sense of who we are, and who we want to be, and an unrstandg of each other. And even if the Whe Collar star did publicly aknowledge he was gay earlier this year, he's not about to start spillg anytime soon.
I go so far as to suggt that he uld be savg young gay people's liv. "What we really have to do is stop the adjective before the job tle—whether 's 'black actor, ' a 'gay actor' or 'anythg actor, '" Bomer said.