Matt Bomer was a Ken that got away from Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie.
The Fellow Travelers star revealed he was among the many men who auditioned to play a Ken in the film in a new interview with Vanity Fair. Bomer, who seems like a natural visual fit for the role, revealed that it was actually him who turned down the opportunity.
The Doom Patrol and White Collar actor directed himself before sending the tap to the casting team. “I recorded it on my own, played a bunch of different Kens — and I dressed differently for all of them,” Bomer said. “I recorded the lines of the other person’s dialogue on my recorder and then gave myself space to respond.”
It was only after speaking with Gerwig about the role that Bomer said he decided to walk away, “choosing not to spend extensive time away from his family,” according to the magazine.
The blockbuster’s casting directors revealed that there were other high-profile celebrities who were meant to appear as Kens in the film. Lucy Bevan and Allison Jones previously told the magazine that Barbie’s cast was required to spend three months in London to film due to COVID restraints.
That ultimately led to other big names, including Bowen Yang, Dan Levy and Ben Platt, being unable to commit as Kens, with Kingsley Ben-Adir, Simu Liu, Ncuti Gatwa, John Cena and Scott Evans making up the male doll collection alongside Ryan Gosling’s Ken #1.
Even Jonathan Groff had to pass on the role of the retired doll Allan — a part that ultimately went to Michael Cera. “They were, I’m not kidding, really bummed they couldn’t do it,” Jones said.
