Matt Bomer Calls New ShowMid-Century ModernOpposite Nathan Lane a 'Spiritual Cousin' toGolden Girls(Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Matt Bomer in Santa Margherita di Pula, Italy in June 2024.Photo:Daniele Venturelli/Daniele Venturelli/Getty

Daniele Venturelli/Daniele Venturelli/Getty

In the upcoming Hulu seriesMid-Century ModernalongsideNathan Lane, the actor, 46, stars as Jerry Frank, who left the Mormon Church and his marriage in his early 20s after his wife informed him — and the rest of the congregation — that he was gay.

“The series follows three best friends — gay gentlemen of a certain age — who, after an unexpected death, decide to spend their golden years living together in Palm Springs where the wealthiest one lives with his mother,” according to the synopsis. “As a chosen family, they prove that no matter how hard things get, there’s always someone around to remind you it would be better if you got your neck done.”

Bomer recently spoke to PEOPLE about the project, calling the show a “spiritual cousin” ofThe Golden Girls.

“Some of the circumstances are similar with this group of people, who have decided for a certain chapter in their life, they’re going to live together,” he says. “There are some nods to not onlyGolden Girls,but some other characters from past shows which I grew up loving. So it’s sort of a hybrid, but I would definitely say it’s a spiritual cousin.”

Matt Bomer, David Kohan, Nathan Lane, James Burrows, Linda Lavin, Max Mutchnick and Nathan Lee Graham.Max Mutchnick/Instagram

Max Mutchnick/Instagram

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“It’s a tip of the hat to a lot of those types of characters that I grew up loving,” Bomer adds.

For theFellow Travelersstar, who is nominated for an Emmy this year for outstanding lead actor in a limited or anthology series or movie,tacklingMid-Century Modernproved a welcome change of pace.

“I remember finishingFellow Travelers— and I’d come off ofBoys in the Band,Fellow Travelers,Maestro, evenDoom Patrol— to an extent where I was playing these very repressed characters,” he explains. “It was all darker, heavier material, and I just thought, I’vegotto [do] a comedy.”

Mid-Century Moderncomes from creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan, with Ryan Murphy, Bomer and Lane also serving as executive producers. James Burrows, whose previous work includesCheers,Will & GraceandFrasier,directed the pilot — an “incredible experience” that challenged Bomer to be extremely nimble as a performer.

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“Jimmy Burrows typically only does one take —maybetwo — and then they change a lot of your lines,” he explains, adding, “Then you do one more take, and then sometimes that’s it. It’s fast and furious, and you really have to let go. You have to let go of the controls and just let it all come through you. So there’s something really thrilling and exciting, and there’s kind of a high you get from it, just from the adrenaline rush of it all, that’s incomparable to really anything else.”

source: people.com