Matt Bomer on New Mackage Campaign, Working With Animals

Matt Bomer has had plenty of high profile co-stars in his day but his latest project delivered the hairiest (in a good way) and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

The Emmy nominated performer fronts Mackage’s sleek CORE 2025 campaign starring alongside a falcon, owl, indigo snake and two Dobermans cast to rep Mackage’s core values of “precision, wisdom, protection and presence.” It’s a new era for the Canadian luxury brand as it expands beyond luxe outerwear into a lifestyle vision “defined by technical innovation, refined silhouettes and enduring style,” per Mackage.

Bomer is fully on board, not only to share space with the “menagerie” of animals but with Mackage’s aesthetics that he said “blend fashion and function really well.” Below the veteran star opens up on his winter style, why his collaborations with stylist Warren Alfie Baker work so well and how he got along with Cameron Diaz and Keanu Reeves in Jonah Hill’s upcoming movie. (Spoiler alert: They got on really well!)

I know you’re thoughtful about brand partnerships so why did you say yes to Mackage? Were you a fan of the brand?

I’ve always been a fan of Mackage. They blend fashion and function really well. I’ve been a fan of their aesthetics for years, and I know that they make a quality product. I also know their ethos matches up to mine. They’re authentic with what they do, and I’m always looking for an authentic connection. We share values in that we have a dedication to quality and trying to do the best craft that we can.

Tell me about working with the animals. I assume they were real and not AI?

They were not AI. They were in fact very real. I love animals. I’ve always been that guy. If I’m honest with you, that was my favorite part of the shoot. If I get to hold a wild animal, it’s great. Interestingly enough, I found the dogs to be the most high maintenance of the crew. You’d think with a reptile involved, it would’ve been the reptile, but these dogs were just raring to go. The snake got a little close to my face a couple of times, and I thought it might bite me. It was a big snake. But the owl — the birds were incredible and actually the easiest to work with. The animals really represented the collection really well. They all have a strength, precision and kind of quiet confidence.

I feel like I know your resumé pretty well but I can’t recall if you’ve worked closely with animals like this in the past?

I’m sure I’ve worked with animals before in a photo shoot but not to this extent. Every two minutes it felt like there was a new animal on my arm. It was a real revolving door, one after the other. I had my own little menagerie going on. I loved it. Frankly, I’d rather work with an animal on a photo shoot than in a film or a television series. They tend to always upstage you. They’re so present and alive and they don’t care that they’re on camera. You have to be careful when they’re your scene partner. Children and animals, that’s what they say.

Do you have a favorite Mackage piece that you wore in the shoot or took home?

It’s the core collection for a reason, you really can’t go wrong, honestly. It’s a matter of personal taste. I happen to really love the Skai wool coat. It’s a completely timeless silhouette and it’s just designed and engineered so well. You can remove the down wool liner so it’s really adaptable. I could wear it out to a dinner, I could wear it with jeans, I could wear it with a suit underneath. It’s really, really versatile and really refined but super functional, which is what I need and I think what we all need. When the weather gets cold, you’re always looking for a staple that you can throw on and you know will look good but isn’t too high maintenance. I also really love the [Victor-R Light Down Jacket With Storm Visor Hood]. I can see myself wearing that for my coffee runs in the morning, going to the gym or meeting friends at a casual place. If I’m not dressing for an elegant night out per se, that tends to be the kind of jacket that I go for, especially in the wintertime.

You work closely with stylist Warren Alfie Baker, who in addition to being a brilliant in-demand stylist is an even nicer guy. I’m curious how your style has evolved since working with him?

What makes Warren so brilliant is that he has all these leading men but he manages to individuate them and give them their own sense of style. He knows how to shift you just slightly out of your comfort zone and push you in a new direction because we all know evolution is the only constant and the style game is always changing. We get really comfortable and cozy in our specifics that work well for us but he keeps you evolving and that’s really important. He’s just always on the cutting edge and has great relationships with new brands and established houses. Whenever he sets out his rack, it’s typically the first one or two things we try on is always what I go with. He just has such an intuitive sense of what works for people. We just have a good time chatting and hanging out, and that’s the only time I get with him. He’s so busy these days, but typically it’s one and done with Warren.

I saw some news Deadline broke that you’re setting off on a Fellow Travelers reunion with this project, Foster Dade. Why did you say yes to getting the team back together?

I love collaborating with those guys. We have such an authentic and easy connection with each other and we approach work in a very similar way. They just have such phenomenal taste. I’ve been a huge Dan Minahan fan since Series 7, that independent film he did with Killer Films. He’s a brilliant artist. I got to actually apprentice with him a little bit and study under him when he was directing on [The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story] before I directed my episode of [Impeachment: American Crime Story]. I’ve always had a really special relationship with him. I just love collaborating with [Robbie Rogers] as well. He’s a phenomenal producer. Some of the things I saw him put together on the set of Fellow Travelers really were game changing. It’s a no brainer for me. [Foster Dade] is a phenomenal script, and Greg Berlanti and Bash Doran have put together an incredible world that I think people will be really fascinated by. The character was really arresting and jumped off the page. It was an easy yes.

You have the Jonah Hill movie Outcome upcoming. What was your experience like on that film?

It was a dream come true on every level. I had unrealistically high expectations of everyone involved and they all superseded them somehow. We had such a criminally fun time working on that. I’ve never laughed harder in my life, but also I was really grateful for the work that we got to do together. I mean, if you’re ever going to have to play best friends with people in Hollywood, Keanu Reeves and Cameron Diaz make it really easy to do. They’re just two of the best people in the industry. I love Jonah. He’s a phenomenal director, and it was just a really easy collaboration. I loved it.

Speaking of Fellow Travelers, I have to ask you about the news of Jonathan Bailey being named People’s Sexiest Man Alive…

I’m glad the world has finally woken up to what we’ve all known for years, and I could not be more proud and happy for Johnny. I love him dearly, and he is more than deserving of this title. It’s long overdue.

It seemed like everyone’s immediate reaction was “of course,” and then in the hours that passed I noticed such a swell of people responding to how profound it is to see the first gay man with the honor. How does that land for you?

Part of me feels like I can’t believe it’s taken until 2025, but I’m just grateful that we’re here today. I think you have to put that aside and then say, hey, progress is progress, and this is phenomenal. I’m glad that Johnny was the guy. He’s the perfect person to hold the mantle.