Matt Bomer reflects on long journey to bring 'Fellow Travelers' to screen

Matt Bomer talks about the journey to bring Fellow Travelers to the screen, praising Showtime for its freedom

Golden Globe-winning actor Matt Bomer recently discussed his dedication to bringing the limited series adaptation of Thomas Mallon’s 2007 novel Fellow Travelers to the screen. Bomer was attached to the project for several years before he, screenwriter Ron Nyswaner, and producer Robbie Rogers secured a deal with Showtime to produce the series.

Bomer, who plays closeted Washington, D.C., politico Hawkins “Hawk” Fuller, attributed the show’s success to Nyswaner’s powerful writing. “It was so powerful and so kind of undeniable that I think they knew that they had something that could be really special,” Bomer said in an interview with The Envelope. He praised Showtime for encouraging the creative team to push boundaries rather than restrict them, calling it “a dream scenario as a creative.”

The series has received critical acclaim for its portrayal of gay life from the 1950s Lavender Scare to the 1980s AIDS crisis. It has garnered multiple nominations, including three Emmy nods for Bomer, supporting actor Jonathan Bailey, and Nyswaner for writing the pilot episode.

Bomer also discussed the challenges of portraying Hawk, a character he described as a survivor who makes tough decisions to navigate his world. “I was so excited that there was an unsympathetic gay character in the lead,” Bomer said, highlighting the complexity and nuance of his role.

Addressing the show’s explicit sexual content, Bomer emphasized the importance of the scenes in developing the characters. He noted that the sex scenes were integral to the story, saying, “The characters were never the same after those scenes as they were before.”