MATT BOMER
‘DONALD’
MATT ON ‘DONALD’
“Donald is the long-suffering, everfaithful ex/close friend of Michael, who is trying to see beyond his current life circumstances, but doesn’t necessarily make the best choices for himself.” HOW IS THE FILM’S DEPICTION OF GAY RELATIONSHIPS IN THE 1960S RELEVANT FOR GAY PEOPLE TODAY? “It’s important to understand the context. It’s months before Stonewall erupted a few blocks away from where the movie takes place. These men had no role models to look to as an example of how to be, how to live. Thankfully, we live in an age now where our community can say, ‘I’m going to be OK. I can have this life if I want.’ Whereas these men are all trapped together in a space society has imposed on them.”
WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT YOURSELF?
“There are aspects of Donald I relate to. He’s looking for something, he’s trying to make better decisions, he wants a great relationship with Michael — maybe more — but knows that’s only ever going to happen if he’s sober. He’s in this deep analysis but still exposing himself to toxic environments. He’s trying to leave the city and its temptations, but he is living with his parents, who are his greatest source of pain. He is looking to find a better life; he just doesn’t know how to find it. There are aspects of that that I struggled with in my twenties. There weren’t a lot of people in the entertainment industry who were openly gay and successful, and I was trying to be my authentic self, and exposed myself to toxic environments because I didn’t know any better — I didn’t have the self-love at the time.”