Source: CBS SID Online
Date: January 1, 2001

Having been raised in a close-knit family, it’s understandable that GUIDING LIGHT’s Matthew Bomer (Ben) feels left out of the familial loop now that he’s a resident of big, bad Manhattan, and the rest of his clan still lives in Texas. “I can’t go to an Astros game with them or have dinner with them every Sunday night,” he sighs, adding that the long-distance relationships force him to be rather direct in getting up-to-date on his clan. “I’m not one of those people who beats around the bush with my family. I don’t try to sugarcoat anything when I go home,” he says. “I get right to the point and ask what’s going on in their lives.”

In some cases, Bomer has found, his geographical distance has even brought him closer to his parents and siblings. “I’m the person in the family who a lot of times, people will pull me aside and say, ‘Hey, Matt, listen. This and this happened. What do you think?’ There’s almost this weird advantage to being totally isolated because they sort of seek solace in me,” he chuckles.

To find out how his family reacted to Bomer’s announcement that he wanted to follow his childhood dream of becoming an actor, check out the new CBS issue of Soaps In Depth.