Matt Bomer doesn’t want to be called ‘victim” over losing ‘Superman’ role

Matt Bomer is setting the record straight—and doing it with the same poise and grace that’s made him a fan-favorite for years. 

While some longtime supporters may still dream of him soaring across Metropolis in a cape, Bomer has officially moved on from the Superman that could’ve been, and he’s more focused on celebrating his present.

The actor, now starring in the Hulu comedy Mid-Century Modern, recently addressed a resurfaced narrative that claimed he lost the Superman role due to being publicly outed. 

One outlet referred to it as a “painful turn of events,” which didn’t sit right with Bomer. In a since-deleted post on X, he gave the story a little truth-lasso treatment.

“This conversation had nothing to do with Superman, so please stop painting me into a victim narrative for your own clickbait,” he wrote. 

“I love my career and wouldn’t change a thing about it. The conversation we had was about a lack of journalistic integrity, and now you’ve done the same thing. Please do better. I wish you the best always, Matt.”

Bomer, who publicly came out in 2012, previously shared that he had once been seriously considered for a Superman reboot. 

In June 2024, he told The Hollywood Reporter about his audition process for Superman: Flyby, a version of the film scripted by J.J. Abrams that ultimately never took off.

“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 recalled. 

“It looked like I was the director’s choice for the role.”

When asked directly if his sexuality played a role in the studio’s decision to pass on him, Bomer was candid. 

“Yeah, that’s my understanding. That was a time in the industry when something like that could still really be weaponized against you. How, and why, and who, I don’t know, but yeah, that’s my understanding.”

But instead of looking back with bitterness, Bomer is all about the here and now—specifically, his role as Jerry Frank, a gay ex-Mormon flight attendant, in Mid-Century Modern. 

Speaking about the role to Deadline, Bomer couldn’t help but gush. “I cannot tell you how liberating it is to play a character without shame,” he said.