Matt Bomer Reveals He Learned To Play Clarinet in Four Months for ‘Maestro’ with Bradley Cooper

Matt Bomer stunned many at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles and admitted he learned a few new skills for Maestro. 

The Leonard Bernstein biopic stars the likes of Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan, Maya Hawke and many more depicting the life of the conductor from his unexpected Carnegie Hall debut to the autumn years of his life.

Cooper, who also directed, co-wrote, and produced Maestro, plays celebrated composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein.

This is Cooper’s second film as a director, after 2018’s luscious remake of A Star Is Born.

Bomer, 46, appears as David Oppenheim, a musical contemporary of Leonard’s early in both of their careers.

The star, head-to-toe in Tom Ford styled by Warren Alfie Baker, gave What’s Trending a scoop on how he prepped for this role following the actor’s recent Showtime series Fellow Travelers. 

Bomer admitted that he picked up learning the clarinet in such little time for his role in the biopic.

The star went on to say, “Even though I don’t use it in the film, I learned to play the clarinet. There’s a scene where you meet my character, well actually he meets Felicia, and he’s playing a clarinet sonata. I wanted to know it just in case they ever cut to me.”

The White Collar alum also went on to add that the instrument was not an easy task, and he had limited time to learn leading up to filming.

“When I tell you that my teacher had to be so patient. Learning to play the clarinet takes some time and I only had four months.”

Starring alongside Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan, Bomer also admits that it was an honor to play the role for Maestro. 

“It was honestly just a dream come true. He’s [Bradley] so collaborative, generous as an artists, and really kind of finds your sweet spot as an actor and brings that out of you.”

Bomer has recently been nominated for his role in the Showtime series, which he also starred in and executive produced. On Monday, the star received two Golden Globes nods for Best Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television and Best Performance by an Actor, Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television.

Since its debut in October, Fellow Travelers has gained universal acclaim for its powerful dramatization of the fight for gay liberation in the second half of the 20th century as well as its unapologetically erotic sex scenes between Bomer and co-star Jonathan Bailey. The stars were seen together on the carpet for Maestro and posed for brief photos.

The series has since been named one of the best TV shows of the year by The New Yorker and The Washington Post.

Maestro premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 2, 2023, where it was nominated for the Golden Lion. The film was scheduled for a limited theatrical release on November 22, 2023, before streaming on Netflix on December 20.

The film also received positive reviews from critics and was named one of the top 10 films of 2023 by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute. It has also been nominated for four Golden Globe Awards.