Matt Bomer has shared he is “in love” and “forever bonded” with Jonathan Bailey after they shared the intimate act of toe sucking on Fellow Travelers.
Bomer told People that the pair “are bonded for life, for sure, as friends after having gone through this together. So it’s a very sacred friendship for me. I love Jonathan.”
He recalled: “We both had quite a lot of experience in our careers of intimacy and portraying intimacy, but there’s also just so much we’ve experienced as gay men, as well. So naturally, we had a lot to explore.”
Bomer had proactively sought out a storyline that showcased intimate “gay love”: “I had looked for these gay stories, a sweeping gay love story, and I hadn’t really seen them.”
Fellow Travelers “ticked every single box, and it’s something I know I’ll be proud of for the rest of my career.”
Bomer’s intention was clear: he wanted “to honor the canon of gay storytelling.” I think we can all agree that that goal was achieved.
Bomer also put to rest whether his character Hawkins Fuller would reciprocate the toe-sucking gesture: “That wasn’t in the script! We did what was in the script.”
Fellow Travellers, based on Thomas Mallon’s novel of the aforementioned name, follows the toxic and tumultuous relationship of Tim Laughlin (Bailey) and Hawkins Fuller in the shadows of McCarthy-era Washington.
Created by Oscar nominee Ron Nyswaner, the series chronicles their romance across four decades, from the Vietnam War protests of the 1960s, the disco-hazed hedonism of the 1970s and the tragedy of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s.
The programme has received widespread critical acclaim, with Bailey scoring a Critics Choice Award for the Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television. The actor dedicated the award to “every LGBTQ+ person living in a bigoted community which still surround us,” as well as paying homage to Bomer: “I share this with you.”
In the interview, Bomer spoke about how is “grateful” for the “multi-generational” response from viewers: “There are young people who see themselves in the story.
“I thought they would mostly see themselves in Skippy, but they’ve also seen themselves in Hawk and other characters in the story. And folks who’ve lived through a lot of the pieces of the story that we’re telling in the show, it’s resonated with them.”
As for whether we can expect to see more of their romance played out on screen, Nyswaner and producer Robbie Rogers told Entertainment Weekly that it could possibly develop in an anthology series that would “track different queer Fellow Travelers across history”.
“Yes, I think that there are many stories to be told, and Robbie and I have spoken in detail. Because of the strike, we haven’t spoken to any of our studio executives about it,” said Nyswaner.
“When the strike ends, that’ll be a conversation that I hope to have immediately with them. Even maybe taking one or two of the characters from this season who weren’t [featured] as prominently as Hawk and Tim.”
In a follow-up conversation with GAY TIMES, Nyswaner said he hasn’t “shared” those discussions with his “employers, so this will be news to them!”
Describing Fellow Travelers as “one of the greatest experiences” of his life, the creator teased of the show’s future: “If I can continue, in some way, that’s a conversation to be had with the people who will be financing that. But, we will be having that conversation.”
You can watch Fellow Travelers in the UK on Paramount Plus.
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