'AHS: Hotel' Postmortem: Matt Bomer Tells Us A Ghost Story

With the Countess finding (and turning) herself a new boy toy and telling Donovan to pack his things and leave the Hotel on this week’s American Horror Story, viewers were left wondering what would become of Matt “Jawline for Days” Bomer, how will his smother Iris react to his banishment, and more importantly, had we seen the last of his bare bum rolling around in a high thread count? The (American) horror.

Related: ‘American Horror Story: Hotel’ Recap: Going Viral

Luckily, Bomer agreed to chat with Yahoo via phone about his character’s future. And while we could not get him to confirm or deny whether his ageless a– would make another appearance, he did reveal some details about Donovan’s next move “to get back in the Countess’ good graces,” and teased how mommy dearest is going to respond to the news. He also talked fake blood highs, relating to Donovan’s desire to stay home to Netflix and chill, his real-life hotel ghost encounter, and Buzzfeed’s campaign to get his tush the top prize.

Obviously you had that memorable death scene in your undies last season and worked with Ryan Murphy on The Normal Heart. How did it come about that you would return to AHS and in a much bigger capacity?
I reached out to him after I had done that cameo in Freak Show. I told him I had a great time and he asked me if I wanted to come on board next season. I am a huge fan of the franchise and had greatly enjoyed working with Ryan over the years so when he proffered that, I immediately accepted. Since then, the season has gone through many incarnations and has added lots of new people to the cast. But I already know I can trust him, so I knew they would give me something fun to chew on no matter what. Part of the fun of working with Ryan is seeing what they come up with. It is never boring.

I had heard that the first episode’s foursome was the first scene you shot for Hotel.
Actually that is completely false. I didn’t do that scene until about two months into filming. A lot of filming for me has been non-sequential because we were waiting on Ms. Gaga’s schedule to free up. I actually did a lot more of the third episode before we even got to the first.

I was thinking that could have been a cruel prank to make you shoot something so intense and naked first.
It would have been weird, but Stefani [Ms. Gaga’s given name] is incredibly gracious in terms of lowering her guard and making herself accessible to all of us. I went to her house before and we were able to discuss the characters and, in actor’s terms, the world of the piece. She had obviously done her homework and is taking this very seriously so when we actually got to the set to film that scene it was actually rather oddly comfortable given the circumstances.

At the center this extreme vampy relationship, I find a very relatable scenario where one half of a couple wants to go out all the time and the other would prefer to stay home and binge House of Cards, and how that slowly becomes a problem and fills a relationship with resentment.
Yeah it was immediately relatable to me, especially given that I live in a town like Los Angeles where you could go out every night of the week if you want. Frequently I am the one who wants to stay home and be with the kids and [my husband] Simon and watch TV and hang out, despite having options to go out or be a part of the scene. There is a value in that on the work end so I understood the conflict. For Donovan, after 20 years of going hunting at LACMA, it is understandable that he might want to have a night in and get some takeout from Iris’ stash of pre-drawn blood. Often in long-term relationships people drift apart and want different things.

The difference in desire levels turns out to be a dealbreaker for the Countess, especially after Tristan Duffy shows up, and she casts him to the curb. Is Donovan gonna fight to get back in her good graces?
In the next episode, you’re going to get some real insight into who he is, his circumstances especially in terms of his relationship with his mother, and how he came to be at the hotel in the first place. But the real thrust of this character seems to be to get back to her any way he can. He loves her. He needs her. He relies on her. He will also try to find his identity outside and independent of her and try to figure out how to bring that back to her.

From next week’s coming attractions, it appears that his strategy will lead him to Angela Bassett’s character and possibly put him in danger. We do see you strapped in to some sort of chair.
Yes. I think Donovan will do whatever it takes and align with whoever might help him reach his goals and get the Countess’ attention again. And the more dangerous, the better. He’s immortal, but as Gaga warned the new guy, that doesn’t make him completely unstoppable.

I don’t get the sense that Mama Donovan will be too happy with the news that the Countess put you back on the streets. She is quite attached to you and desperate to see you.
I don’t want to speak on behalf of Kathy [Bates], but the only reason she is at the hotel is to be an everyday part of Donovan’s existence. She has obviously made some sort of deal with the Countess and it seems like it would follow that once she loses the security of having them there, she will become more, how do I phrase this, desperate than ever to keep him close. I am so lucky that my screen mother is played by the extraordinary Kathy Bates who I adore and who is an absolute dream come true to get to work with.

Again, your nemesis in the Ryan Murphy universe is Finn Wittrock. Last season, he duped you and then killed you and now he has arrived to steal Gaga’s affections.
I think the world of Finn. He is a friend and someone I hang out with outside of American Horror Story and he is a committed actor so it is always great to work opposite him. I was actually really interested to see what he would do in the runway scene because this is actually the second time I have been in the audience for a fashion show he is walking in. I was razzing him about how he would make this guy different from the last model he played in The Normal Heart? “How will his walk be different, Finn? What kind of a model will this guy be?” But in terms of the fighting and violence, it is easier to work with someone you trust. Finn is an incredibly responsible actor, which is good because last season I could have really been hurt. There were a lot of times that he could have really injured me given that he had a really sharp thing in his hands and he had to stab me multiple time but I walked away more or less without a scratch.

There’s a lot of fake blood slurping going on. What is it made of and does it taste good?
It is an incredibly realistic concoction made by our makeup artist. It is largely corn syrup based so it is very sweet. I found that quite oxymoronic given that we have to be buck-naked for days on end and yet we are drinking about 200 grams of sugar a day. But I wouldn’t say it’s gross. Who doesn’t like a good sugar rush?

Man, you must bottom out at the end of the day.
You definitely get cracked out on sugar after a particularly bloody scene. It is better when it is in a glass and we are drinking it because then it has pomegranate juice mixed in.

Obviously you are a fit dude, but did you put in extra work or steal Max Grenfield’s celery water the minute you read the first script given how often you appear naked?
I definitely borrowed Max’s Green juice. I think our significant others bonded over the fact that we were both a little grumpy from existing solely on protein and green juice. Honestly, you read a scene like that and you realize you have to stay in shape and you can’t let yourself go. But, for me, it starts with the character and the acting first so I approach every scene from that angle first and work out a little longer when I can. How my butt is going to look is not at the forfront of my mind. But then again maybe I have been anesthetized at this point of my life.

Are you aware of Buzzfeed’s campaign for your ass to win an Emmy?
I haven’t. Should I be flattered or offended? But if someone wants to give my butt an Emmy, it will walk up to that podium and graciously accept it with pride.

The Hotel Cortez set is glorious. They have outdone themselves truly. What is your favorite detail, room, or prop on set?
This is such an incredible cast but the real star of this season is the hotel. I have to admit it. There are so many subtle details that you can’t even really see on TV or that will reveal themselves over the course of the season. On several occasions, I have suddenly noticed some little thing that I never saw before even if I have been in a room several times before. One of my favorite aspects of the design is that there are a lot of aggressive angles from the sharp corners to the diamonds on the ground. They work on both visual and thematic levels. When you are in, you see this incredible aesthetic. It’s like a Tom ford wet dream, but at the same time the aggressive details like the neon sign in the penthouse or the way a wall juts out at you, it also feels dark and tense and leaves a creepy vibe. You get a sense of the place’s dark history just by looking at it.

Have you has a scary hotel experience? Believe in ghosts?
I’m not the most superstitious individual but interestingly enough I was just down in Santa Fe working on The Magnificent Seven. I ended up staying at the Las Palomas hotel. I got in late and had work early the next day. I couldn’t sleep at first because there was all this noise outside my door. I kept thinking, “Are people moving furniture in the hall? Are they talking outside my door?” I got a little freaked out, but it passed because being the neurotic actor, I knew I needed my sleep more. I had to be on camera the next day. But when I brought it up to the concierge the nest day, she said, “Oh yeah, the hotel is haunted.” Turns out it is a hub for people who are interested in paranormal activity. It is a well-known haunting location. And I think working on Hotel made my Spidey sense go off. We were working in a gorgeous field of sage so I grabbed some and burned it in my room that night. I said, “Listen an actor is staying here and he needs his sleep so please go haunt somebody else’s room.”

American Horror Story: Hotel airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on FX.