Guiding Light alum Matt Bomer (ex-Ben Reade) is currently receiving rave reviews for his performance in Showtime’s Fellow Travelers and the motion picture Maestro.

However, on the December 6th episode of The Tonight Show, Bomer revealed more intel on why he decided to pass on an opportunity to appear in the summer blockbuster Barbie. Matt was in heavy consideration to play a Ken in Greta Gerwig’s smash hit starring Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie.

The in-demand star told Jimmy Fallon,”I had some projects in development, and I wasn’t sure if they were gonna happen or when they were gonna happen. So, I auditioned. I mean, I dressed up like Malibu Ken. I dressed up like Business Suit Ken. I had like four different looks going on. I have pictures of this.” Bomer shared that, “he really got into it.”

Photo: Warner Bros/Mattel

In the end, the timing just wasn’t right for Bomer who shares three sons with his husband, Simon Halls.  Matt expressed, “I was talking with Greta, I was looking forward to doing it and then the things in development came to fruition, and I would have been away from my family for a year, which was just too much time away.”

As for how the cast shook out for Barbie, Bomer gave a thumbs up, “I think they made a perfect movie, and it was cast perfectly.”

Photo: AP

Bomer does not regret his decision because in the end he “got to do Fellow Travelers and Maestro and spend time with my family.” In Fellow Travelers, Matt stars in what he deemed on The Tonight Show as ‘the gay The Way We Were.”  Bomer plays opposite Jonathan Bailey in the series.  In Maestro, Bomer plays clarinettist David Oppenheim, who was one of Leonard Bernstein’s lovers.

Photo: CBS

On Guiding Light, daytime soap fans remember that Bomer played Ben Reade for two years from 2001-2003. The character was revealed to be a male prostitute and a serial killer before his death. Matt had told the producers before he exited, “Just throw the kitchen sink at me, and they did.”

Watch Matt’s segment on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon below.  Now let us know, do you wish he would have played a Ken in the Barbie movie? Have you caught his performances in ‘Fellow Travelers’ and soon Maestro?  What do you recall about his work as GL’s troubled Ben Reade? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

Guiding Light alum, Matt Bomer (ex-Ben Reade) revealed that a White Collar revival may be in the cards. While promoting his Showtime limited series Fellow Travelers, he opened about the possibility.

Bomer told TV Line: “There has been talk. It’s actually very legitimate talk, it’s in conversation.” Matt added, “A lot of things need to fall into place, but there is a plan in effect, at least, so we’ll see what happens.”

On White Collar, Bomer played the central role of Neal Caffrey for six seasons from 2009–2014 on USA Network. In story, Neal was paired with FBI Special Agent in Charge Peter Burke (DeKay) as a criminal informant.

Photo: USA Network

The idea of a revival was first mentioned publicly during a virtual reunion on the Stars In The House series with the cast of White Collar (see below) during the Covid-19 pandemic. At that time, Bomer shared, “There’s nothing that I would want more than to be on a set with this group of people again.”

Photo: JPI

Since exiting Guiding Light in 2003, Bomer has become a major star in motion pictures and television. Back in 2015, Bomer joked on Late Night With Seth Meyers about Ben’s dark storylines while in Springfield, “I was a trust fund baby who bet my fraternity brothers that I could deflower the town virgin. I fell in love with her, but she found out about the bet and dumped me.  Then, I met a new girlfriend, lost my trust fund and was embarrassed to tell her so I became a male prostitute .. that’s what you do when you lose your trust fund. (Laughs).  So I had all these cougar clients that that were these women I would meet at 6 in the morning and by 9am we would be in the bed making out together for five minutes.  Then my girlfriend found out I was a male prostitute, dumped me of course, and then I went crazy, killed five people, kidnapped her to a remote cabin in the woods, confessed to her that I’d been molested by my middle school teacher, and then committed suicide in front of her, her father, and her new boyfriend. Then, hung on for one day in the hospital to confess my sins!”

So. would you like to see a “White Collar” revival starring Matt Bomer? Let us know via the comment section below.

John Wesley Shipp, best known to daytime fans for his roles on As the World Turns, Guiding Light, One Life to Live et al, and primetime fans for his role in The Flash, shared a heartfelt health update via his Instagram.

While Shipp did not go into specifics, he did say he underwent surgery earlier in September for an urgent medical issue.

In his post, accompanying by his photo, John expressed: “Hello out there! Friends and contacts have written recently, like, “where are you? are you ok?” Well, here’s the deal: I had surgery early this month for a health issue that had to be dealt with immediately. All went well, but I’ve had to postpone a theatre production and personal appearances as the recoup will take some weeks. I do read and appreciate what you share with me, that you entrust me with your thoughts and feelings. You are ever on my mind and in my heart, and I look forward to getting active and out there again as soon as possible. Until then, remember to play nice, be kind, and stay engaged! Our futures depend on it.”

Photo: JPI

John’s soap resume is quite impressive having portrayed: Dr. Kelly Nelson/Victor Laszlo on Guiding Light, Doug Cummings on As the World Turns, Martin Ellis on Santa Barbara, Carter Jones on All My Children and Eddie Ford on One Life to Live. Shipp won two Daytime Emmys along the way.

More recently, John has appeared in primetime’s, Arrow, The Flash, Stargirl and countless other TV appearances.

Share your well-wishes for a speedy recovering to John via the comment section below.

 

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