• written by Jasper August 17, 2024

    Matt Bomer for People Magazine

    Matt recently talked with People Magazine in two separate articles, wherein he talked about developing Fellow Travelers, parenthood, and being “competitive” during family time with husband Simon and their three teenage sons. I have also added the two outtakes and scans into our gallery! Check out the other article under the cut.

    For the actor, who also served as executive producer on the Showtime series, adapting Fellow Travelers from Thomas Mallon’s 2008 novel into an eight-episode limited series was a years-long passion project with emotional ups and downs.

    “I was really cynical about the prospects of the show going into production from the get-go,” he tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “A period piece is very expensive. And I think I was protecting my own heart, but I was cautious about whether or not it would actually come to fruition.”

    “Oftentimes, the notes you get from executives can be kind of restrictive, like, ‘Well, let’s pull this back,’ or ‘maybe don’t do that,’” Bomer continues. “But their whole ethos was, no, go further, push yourself further, go as far as you can, see how far can you take it. And those are the kind of dreamy situations you hope for as an artist.”

    “When I was nominated, I was so grateful and happy, obviously, but I was also mostly just grateful that a show like Fellow Travelers could exist in the world today, because we’ve all been around at a time when it couldn’t, and we could be on the precipice of a time when it couldn’t again,” he says. “So I’m just really thankful that we were able to get the show made.”

    While their characters had a complex onscreen relationship, Bomer and Bailey meshed well professionally right from the start — from their Zoom screen test to their coffee five days before they began filming.

    “We were pretty focused on set,” Bomer recalls. “But Jonny being Jonny — one of the funniest people I know — whenever we had time or we’d finished a day or before we’d started a day, he’d have me laughing quite a bit.”

    People

    For Matt Bomer and his family, Uno isn’t just a way to pass the time, it’s a card game to be taken seriously.

    During a recent interview with PEOPLE, Bomer discussed how he, his husband Simon Halls and his three teenage sons — Kit, Walker and Henry — like to “mix it up” when it comes to games.

    “We play some card games,” the actor, 46, says in this week’s issue. “We always have a deck of cards with us on vacation. Uno is always a classic. Uno gets really hot, it gets really heated in our family.… There have been some heated moments in those games. I’m not going to lie.” ‘

    The Fellow Travelers star, who is nominated for an Emmy this year for outstanding lead actor in a limited or anthology series or movie, wed Halls in 2011, welcoming Kit in 2005 and twins Henry and Walker in 2008.

    Bomer thrives in front of the camera, but he’d prefer to keep his children out of show business for the time being.

    “I don’t want anybody out onstage any time soon,” he told PEOPLE in 2015. “I want them to have a nice, normal childhood.”

    There are moments, however, when Bomer shines a light on his family. In 2012, he thanked his husband and kids during his acceptance speech for the New Generation Arts and Activism Award at the Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards.

    “I’d really especially like to thank my beautiful family: Simon, Kit, Walker, Henry,” he said onstage then. “Thank you for teaching me what unconditional love is. You will always be my proudest accomplishment.”

    The White Collar actor also offers glimpses of his family on social media. On Aug. 11, Bomer posted a touching Instagram post with a photo of him and Kit grabbing a bite and several photos of his son basking in his natural surroundings.

    “Last trip before college!” Bomer wrote in the caption. “We love you Kit, and we’re so proud of the young man that you have become!”

    Though it can be a challenge to balance parenthood with the demands of his acting career, Bomer told PEOPLE in 2014 he wouldn’t have things any other way.

    “I love [being a dad],” he said then. “It’s the most profound gift and the most daunting challenge at times.”

    When his kids aren’t around, Bomer tells PEOPLE he enjoys Cards Against Humanity. The popular card game is “definitely NC-17” in nature, but the actor admits he’s learned “so many things about so many people” he didn’t know before.

    “You kind of learn about people’s sense of humor and sort of what their shadowier side is when they play that game,” he explains. “I’m like, ‘Oh, okay. Now I see how you play it.’ Some people are just straight-up gamers and just play to win. But it’s really fun.”

    Bomer, for his part, says he doesn’t have a competitive streak.

    “I’m competitive with myself,” he says. “I think I’m more of a team sports guy. I was a swimmer growing up and the relay was always my favorite event. I loved playing on a football and a track team, but it always felt more like a team event for me. … But I think when it comes to games — and even being on stage with somebody or being in a production with somebody — I’m much more ensemble-oriented.”

    People