Matt Bomer Says He Doesn’t Regret Passing on the ‘Barbie’ Movie: ‘It Was Cast Perfectly’

Entertainment Movies Matt Bomer Says He Doesn’t Regret Passing on the Barbie Movie: ‘It Was Cast Perfectly’ Bomer discussed passing on a ‘Barbie’ role during his appearance on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’ Wednesday By Gabrielle Rockson Gabrielle Rockson Gabrielle Rockson is a staff writer-reporter for PEOPLE. She joined PEOPLE in 2023 and covers entertainment and human interest stories. Her previous work can be found in OK! Magazine, MyLondon, GRM Daily, and more. People Editorial Guidelines Published on December 7, 2023 08:38AM EST Even without a role in Barbie, Matt Bomer is Kenough. The Maestro actor appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday and revealed that he doesn’t regret passing on the Greta Gerwig-directed blockbuster, which hit theaters in July, after he’d initially auditioned to play one of the Kens. “You made headlines this summer, which I think was very fun, for a movie that you were not in,” host Jimmy Fallon began. “Not many people do that. I mean, normally they’re in the movie.” “I got really into it, actually,” Bomer, 46, recalled of the audition process. “I had some projects in development — I wasn’t sure if they were gonna happen, or when they were gonna happen — so I auditioned.” Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories. Matt Bomer on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Dec. 6, 2023 (L); Scott Evans, Ryan Gosling, Kingsley Ben-Adir and Simu Liu in Barbie (2023). Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty; Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures Matt Bomer Reveals He Auditioned to Play a Bunch of Different Kens for Barbie Movie Bomer said he donned “four different looks” for the audition that included “Malibu Ken” and “business suit Ken,” and had been “looking forward to” being in the film. But as the star explained to Fallon, 49, he didn’t take the role in Barbie because some of the projects he had in development “came to fruition” and he also would have needed to be away from his family for a year, “which was just too much time away.” Asked whether he thought he should have done Barbie due to it now being “the biggest movie in the world,” Bomer replied, “No.” “I mean, I hope I get to work with Greta someday — she’s phenomenal,” he added of Gerwig, 40. “But I think they made a perfect movie and it was cast perfectly, and I got to do Fellow Travelers and Maestro and spend time with my family.” Matt Bomer on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Dec. 6, 2023. Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Matt Bomer Says He’s Raising His Three Sons in an Intersectional Environment: ‘Let Them Find Their Own Way’ In November, Bomer opened up about his Barbie auditioning process to Vanity Fair. “I recorded it on my own, played a bunch of different Kens — and I dressed differently for all of them,” he told the outlet. “I recorded the lines of the other person’s dialogue on my recorder and then gave myself space to respond.” Meanwhile, Bomer told PEOPLE in 2020 that he prefers to keep his kids out of the limelight, explaining that he wants them “to have a nice, normal childhood,” and doesn’t “want anybody out on stage any time soon.” “When I was 8 years old, I asked my parents to get me head shots, and they were like, ‘What are you talking about?! Go outside and play!’ I’m so glad they did,” he said at the time. “I had a normal childhood where I was able to cultivate my own creativity, and I don’t think I would have been ready for this crazy business at 8 years old.” Bomer shares three sons — Kit, born in 2005, and twins Henry and Walker, born in 2008 — with his husband, Simon Halls. Halls, 59, is known as one of the most successful publicists in Hollywood and tied the knot with Bomer in 2011.