White Collar and Matt Bomer

I waited with much anticipation for the movie “The Normal Heart” to premier on HBO (May 2014).  I knew that the cast comprised some of my favorite people and topic of the early AIDS crisis is important.  The play had been on Broadway in 2011 with Ellen Barkin and Jim Parson in the cast.  Mark Ruffalo and Julia Roberts were in the film and always give good performances.

When the movie aired, I was amazed at the number of Broadway people who were in the cast:  Joe Mantello, Dennis Leary, B. D. Wong, Steven Spinella, and Alfred Molina have all appeared on Broadway and won Tony Awards.  Jim Parsons did 2 plays on Broadway and has won 4 or 5 Emmys for “The Big Bang”.  The actress playing the woman, who volunteered to work the phones, had been a member of the original cast of “Into the Woods.”  She played Little Red Riding Hood!  She also appeared in the NYC Opera production of “A Little Night Music” as Frederica and was in the original cast of “Sunday in the Park with George.”  This was an excellent ensemble cast who all did great work.  (Remember that I am prejudiced.  I believe that Broadway actors are more talented and better than those who have never done theater.)

There were several new (to me) actors in the movie.  However, the one who was unrivaled in his performance was the fellow who played Felix.  He was superb!   Who was he?  I had never seen him before.

Google provided the answer.  He was Matt Bomer.  He was currently in a TV show called, “White Collar,” which debuted in 2009.  Thanks to Netflix the first four seasons of the show were available.  I watched the pilot episode and was hooked! 

The pilot was one of the best initial episodes I’ve ever watched.  The cast worked so well together and had such chemistry that one might think that they had worked together for years.  The two leads, Tim McKay and Matt Bomer, had great chemistry.  The show was well-written and well done. The locations showed New York at its best.  They found locations in the city that revealed the magnificent architecture and beautiful parks that populate the city.  It was an overall good show. 

Meanwhile, I continued to pursue another favorite activity.  I love to search You Tube for any clips about Broadway.   There are even complete videos of some musicals and clips of stellar performances by top stars. Other good clips to watch are the Kennedy Center Honors for the various Broadway composers. While watching the tribute to Jerry Herman, which included Angela Lansbury, Chita Rivera and Carol Channing, I had a surprise.  They announced Mathew Bomer and Kelly O’Hara who sang a duet from “Hello, Dolly”.  Bomer could sing beautifully!  I was totally surprised by his versatility.

I then become interested in what else he did.  I learned that he was on the “Guiding Light” in the beginning and had a brief role on “All My Children”.  Soaps are good training for actors.  They have to learn lines and the changes quickly under pressure.  The acting tends to be good.  He was also in a short TV series (Traveler) that wasn’t very good. The show was another governmental conspiracy idea and really had no place to go.  It lasted 6 episodes and ran before “White Collar.”

He was also on a show called “Chuck”.  He starred in “Traveler” a short-lived government conspiracy story that had nowhere to go and had a role in “Tru Calling”. He has appeared in a few movies.  Most so far have not been very good, though “Magic Mike” was financially successful and prompted a sequel.  Bomer’s role however was brief.  His big “number” ended on the cutting room floor.  Presumably, his agent arranged for a bigger and better role in the sequel.  His other film roles were either brief or forgettable.

 I was happy that he won the TV critics award for “The Normal Heart” but felt he was slighted by the Emmy’s by not winning there, too.  His performance as Felix was that good.  Some reporters blamed the Emmy loss on homophobia of the TV Academy.  (He is openly gay, married with children.)  I can’t comment.  However, they nominated 5 men from the film for “Best Supporting Actor” which is an automatic loss for everyone in the group.

The press made a big deal about his losing a lot of weight for the second half of the role.  That was important and I’m sure helped his portrayal.  However, his scene with Alfred Molina was wonderfully done.  His deathbed scene with Mark Ruffalo was incredibly touching and amazingly well done.  He deserved that Emmy. 

Thanks to Netflix, I was able to watch 4 seasons of “White Collar” in a very short period of time .(between June and September). Binge watching a series is much different than waiting for next year to see what happened.  Binge watching, I realized, immerses one totally into the show without a break.  It almost becomes an obsession.   Living with the characters continually, makes them very real.  I guess the parallel is watching a soap opera every day.  The characters are real and are part of one’s life as family is!  It was no help that the characters were so likeable and well written.  (I remember my mother being in tears, because one of her favorite soap opera characters died!)

After watching the first 4 seasons, I had to wait until Season 5 was available in September.  I finally found it on MGo and we were able to binge watch that season also.  This time, however, we did it a bit more slowly.  This November the sixth and last season aired.  It was abbreviated to 6 episodes, one of which they wasted by introducing a character from the past who had no relevance to the season’s plot line and just took up time!  However, the show ended reasonably well.  Fans, however, were very upset by the abbreviated season.  I agree that the show deserved a full 13 episode final season.  But, money rules the network.  Despite the loyalty of most fans, the ratings had fallen between season 4 and 5.  Also, I believe that Bomer wanted out to try his hand in films.

Bomer has classic good looks.  He is one of the handsomest men on TV.  He reminds one of George Clooney or Cary Grant—timeless good looks that age very well. (Think of Cary Grant in his 70’s.)  Bomer sings, dances, and acts well.  He has great potential if he makes good choices and gets good offers.  He would do well on Broadway, too.  Time will tell how successful he becomes.  Without the continual exposure of television, he could easily be forgotten. 

Fortunately, the Hollywood Foreign Press honored Bomer with a Golden Globe.  The Screen Actors Guild does not have a category for supporting actor in a TV movie.  That is bizarre.  One would expect the actors union to find every and any opportunity to honor one of their own.