My goodness, Matt Bomer can wear the hell out of a wet white t-shirt. Yum. Bomer covers the January/February issue of Men’s Fitness, and it seems like the point of the interview is just to chat about American Horror Story: Hotel. I never watch any of the AHS seasons, so this is the first time I’m hearing that Bomer and Lady Gaga are both playing vampires. Which makes perfect sense, and I actually think that’s great casting. Bomer is 38 years old and he will probably still be unbelievably beautiful – in a vampirish way – for another 30 years. Here are some highlights from Men’s Fitness:
Working on American Horror Story: Hotel: “I got the first script and thought to myself, ‘Holy sh-t, what the f–k is this? This is crazy!’ I put it down a few times and took a deep breath and went, ‘OK. We’re just going to have to commit to this world.'”
Working with Lady Gaga: “My favorite thing about working with Lady Gaga is really just the sheer level of creativity she brings to the table. And she’s really one of the most intelligent people I’ve ever known. Her intelligence is equaled by her heart.”
Game-changing advice from Gaga: “It was something that actually Lady Gaga had said to me. She said a lot of creating a name and a place for yourself in this business is just having the heart to staying in the game. A lot of it is learning how to get up and dust yourself off and stand up against adversity or whoever may be an obstacle for you and having the heart to stay open as an artist and creative as an artist.”
He has lots of experience with guns: “I’ve been handling guns since I was a kid. I got a .30-30 for Christmas in the seventh grade. It wasn’t what I asked for, by the way. And it wasn’t my only present.” It was a gift from his father, a conservative Christian and avid hunter who “clears the decks for deer season.”
He’s not a hunter anymore: As a kid, he hunted birds and ducks but hasn’t shot at anything live in years. “It’s nothing that I’ve elected to do in my adult life. In Texas, it’s a way for men to bond together. I was down with that when I lived there, and I haven’t really done it since.”
[From Men’s Fitness & E! News]
I didn’t realize Bomer grew up in Texas – I thought he grew up in the deep South, like Alabama or South Carolina, judging from his accent. So, I learned something new about him. I also didn’t know that his dad was super-conservative. He doesn’t say anything about whether he and his dad have a relationship these days. What do you think? Would a super-conservative Texas-hunter father be totally okay with his son being gay, and raising children with a husband? Hm.
Cover courtesy of Men’s Fitness, photos courtesy of WENN.
Matt has talked about his mom before and even did PSA for equality in Texas. He talked about how he was raised to treat everyone equally. I automatically think of conservative when someone says Texas. I shouldn’t, but I do.
I grew up about a mile away from where he did. It’s like middle-class to upper middle-class Houston suburbs. In terms of politics it’s more conservative than liberal, but it’s not like Bible Belt conservative. It sounds like his house was one of the more conservative ones. But we’re in close proximity to Houston, everyone works in Houston, so it’s probably 60-40 Republican to Liberal.
Matt grew up in a suburb of Houston – near where I did as a child. The metropolises of Texas (Austin, Houston, Dallas) and the cities nearby can be very different from the Texas stereotype that most people think of. I’m a liberal and though I had many conservative friends in Texas they didn’t wear cowboy boots or hats (that was actually made fun of where I went to school) and interracial friendships were common. Even the way we speak around the metropolises is different. Almost ALL other areas of Texas pronounce the word “pen” as “pin,” except the metropolises. I now live in another southern state and everybody thinks I’m a northerner and I’m frequently told that I “don’t sound like I’m from Texas.” It can actually be a little stifling when people assume that I should act/talk/think a certain way because of where I grew up, but hey we’re all learning here.
Fellow Spring/Klein Texan here. Hey y’all.
cheers! I also think people from the Houston area say H-words differently – almost like “u”ston and “u”mid (as opposed to pronouncing the “h” in those words) and I agree that are the metropolitan areas there are interesting mixes of people in the suburbs.
I think sometimes that people talk a big Conservative game but when it comes to one of their kids they change their way of thinking. Someone could be a huge pro-lifer but if their daughter is raped and impregnated at 13, you better believe they change their mind about abortion.
Same with Liberal ways of thinking. Liberals may want to raise taxes on the wealthy but the wealthy liberals use every bit of the system to avoid paying the highest amount of taxes. Same with the death penalty someone may be against the death penalty until someone in their family is murdered.
I live in Texas and my Tea-Partying, Gun Toting, Obama hating, Mother-In-Law said that if one of her grandkids turned out gay she would love them the same. This may seem like a given for most but this is an evolved view for her.
My extended family in Russia pulled the same thing when one of ours turned out gay. They were VERY anti-gay – a LOT of Eastern Europe is – then the second he came out they backtracked, backtracked, backtracked.
Off course ideally the best thing is not to be anti-gay in the first place, but I guess backtracking is better than shunning…
Did you know Matt Bomer went to high school with Lee Pace? Jim Parsons is also from the same district but went to another school.
H-Town represent, baby! 😎
Didn’t know that but the birds, ducks and me are all glad he left Texas.
I adore Matt he is so yummy. He would have made a pretty good Superman when he was considered for the role years ago.
Those ducks and deer feed people. Please don’t forget that. I have friends in the Deep South who hunt deer, and that meat is processed for people in extremely poor towns where there is little or no work. I can’t stress enough that just as you and others don’t want to be painted with a brush of negative stereotypes, southerners want and deserve the same. Especially when you don’t have all the facts. If I could I would far rather hunt and process my own meat when it doesn’t harm the animal population rather that eat meat from the grocery stores that are riddled with hormones and chemicals. But I can’t so I spend a fortune at Whole Foods and local farms.
Yeah they lived in Spring,Tx (a suburb of Houston) and attended Klein HS.Jim Parsons attended Klein Oak HS
As for his parents they have evolved over the years regarding homosexuality.Also they used to be Baptist now they attend a nondenominational church.
Love him so!!! Much!!!
I was raised in Austin and now live in Houston. I want to point out that not all hunters are conservative (some are the most Eco conscious and socially people I know), not all Texans are conservative (there are a good number of liberal democrats, especially in the urban areas, nor are all conservatives anti-gay. The term “conservative” can mean many things, especially in a large, diverse state like Texas. I personally know a “conservative” who has a very loving and supportive relationship with his gay son and partner.
It would benefit everyone to look beyond the stereotypes and assumptions, because if you really want change and acceptance you have to reach out to people rather than turn them off.
Also, Patrick Swayze grew up in my old neighborhood, which I have always thought was pretty awesome.
I totally agree. I’m from the same town where Bomer grew up and my parents still live there. They are “conservative” yet they donate to Planned Parenthood and the Houston Homeless Shelter. Definitely not in-line with conservative stereotypes.
I think these Conservative stereotypes are the extreme and not the middle of the road Conservatives. I have always voted more Conservative but I couldn’t imagine not being pro-choice, LGBT equality, and support planned parenthood.
There are a lot of middle of the road conservatives who are unfairly characterized by the extremes on Fox News.
Well said.
That husband of his is one lucky bitch!
He’s so gorgeous yet has this very warm smile and demeanor at the same time.
And he’s proof that you can be gay and still play a leading man. It’s called acting.
My family, on the whole, is very conservative and very religious and everyone showed up to my cousin’s wedding when he married his husband and everyone is supporting them in their efforts to adopt. I think you will find that when given the opportunity, people will do the right thing and support people they love. Tolerance and understanding. I was pleasantly surprised by my family’s behavior, which made me think a lot, and in the end, made me feel bad that I didn’t give them enough credit. Now, I think it is a bit narrow-minded to assume just because a person is conservative and religious it means they won’t support a loved one who comes out and lives their life openly.
From my own personal experience with conserverative dads and their gay sons, I don’t have a hard time believing he and his dad still have a relationship. Again, just basing it on my own experience, and obviously every father is different, but while it may have been a shock when the father first heard the news, many fathers ultimately decide that while it may not be what they had imagined for their kid, its better to just suck it up and deal with it silently rather than lose their kid and any potential relationship with grandkids altogether.
It’s hard to say. I know it depends on the person but speaking as somebody who has an ultra conservative Dad.. He would never be okay with one of my brothers coming out. I don’t think he would disown them for it but I also don’t think he would ever be accepting of it. Ever. It’s sad, really. I can’t talk to him about sexuality/politics/etc. because we disagree so profoundly. I used to bother arguing but some bigoted attitudes are just so ingrained. He also stereotypes gay men as flamboyant and lacking in masculine qualities. Which should not be viewed as negative qualities! But I have also noticed that tv shows often just go with stereotypes. If you’ve ever watched ‘Shameless’ I LOVE how this show depicts its characters whom are gay. It goes completely against all stereotypes of gay men which is still unique to television.
Welp, I can speak for the Bible Belt conservatives and safely say that no, they would not have much of a relationship at all. Just my humble experience. In the Bible Belt. Among conservatives.
So he was taught how to handle guns, um ok. How is this headline news? Also why is it so surprising that conservatives can love and support their gay relatives? People need to branch out and surround themselves with people of different religions, political views, etc. You may be surprised how much we all have in common.
Exactly. It’s amazing how people can be so critical of certain groups, but if you press them you’ll find out they have never even had any friends who belong to those groups. I can’t imagine what a sad life a person can have that they turn off other human beings based on shallow things like political beliefs or whether they support abortion or gay marriage or whether they go to a church or not. I have all kinds of friends and feel like my life is better for it.
He went to acting high school with Lee Pace, who is also a Texan who is gay with conservative Christian parents. Lee is very close with his parents. You know, I realize that there are lots of stereotypes about Christians and conservatives, but often they’re just that – stereotypes. You can’t paint a whole group with the same brush. They may not love the idea of their sons being gay but most Christians love their children regardless. Whatever the case, these families meet in the middle. That’s what how it works when you love someone.
What? Lee Pace is gay? I never knew this and my daughter has the biggest crush on him. She’s going to be disappointed she won’t have a chance with him now. 🙂
Lee is one of the gay actors who doesn’t feel the need to confirm or deny anything publicly. But it’s been known for years since he’s lived in NY that he’s had long-term relationships with at least two men: one who worked in fashion and the other an actor. Lee has never, ever been seen with a girlfriend nor ever mentioned a girlfriend. It’s a “read between the lines” case, and any idea to the contrary is really immature. Some fans who are in denial love to trot out his former acting classmate – a woman named Jennifer, who he took to some function. But it was one time, years ago, and nothing in their one photo together looked like lovers. The body language was very clear.
I think he’s been secretly dating Thorin ( Richard Hermitage) for a while now. I normally would dismiss such rumors but they were seen together in Berlin quite recently.
A gun in seventh grade???? Wtf???
That is the way of life here. I don’t understand it but most people have guns in the house and they are very passionate about them. They equate guns with freedom. Stories of children dying because they find a gun are fairly frequent.
I’m only here to disapprove of the guns and glad he doesn’t use them any more.