"I feel like ‘Maestro’ wouldn’t have been the same experience" says Matt Bomer on turning down Barbie for Maestro

Matt Bomer plays David Oppenheim, but we don't see him much in the Academy Award-nominated Maestro (2023). That's understandable; it's a movie about Leonard Bernstein, an American composer portrayed by the handsome Bradley Cooper. This is similar to the latest James Mangold film, A Complete Unknown, which focuses on Bob Dylan rather than Pete Seeger, who has an equally important role in the story.

When Matt was approached to play one of the Kens in Barbie (2023), he decided to audition but ultimately chose to turn it down. He then obtained a small but significant role in Maestro, which he believes worked out for the best. He recently discussed his role in the film with Business Insider and revealed that working with Cooper also influenced his decision to walk away from Barbie. He said:

Even though my part in ‘Maestro’ was smaller, Bradley was so collaborative with me from the get-go. It was such an immersive experience that to have just flown in from London to film my scenes [in ‘Barbie’] really quick and fly back to London — I feel like ‘Maestro’ wouldn’t have been the same experience for me."

Essentially, they are two movies that can be seen as polar opposites. Bomer ended up acting alongside Cooper, where the film depicts them as lovers.

Matt Bomer's role in Maestro

We see Matt Bomer appear at the beginning of the Bradley Cooper film. Later, Cooper's character falls for Felicia Montealegre, played by Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman), which leads to the separation of Leonard Bernstein and David Oppenheim.

Oppenheim was a gifted clarinetist. Leonard Bernstein dedicated his Sonata for Clarinet and Piano to Oppenheim, who also assisted in recording the piece in 1942. Nearly two decades later, he became part of Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic's production.

Barbie had different demands

There's only one commonality when we group Barbie and Maestro together: both films were nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture in the same year. Aside from that, they explore vastly different themes. Additionally, one is based on real-life incidents, while the other delves into a fantastical world.

Bomer would have been one of the Kens, a male fashion doll portrayed by Ryan Gosling, Simu Liu, John Cena, and others. The film places them in the matriarchal Barbieland, where they all learn about patriarchy when they enter the real world.

To that end, Bomer might have had more screen time than he ended up with in Maestro but he has no regrets.