Matt Bomer Didn't Know About Donovan's Fate When Signing On To AHS: Hotel
If there is one commonality between all the seasons of "American Horror Story," it is that dead does not always mean dead. Witches, serial killers, and spirits all have a habit of coming back, but it is the concept of haunted houses that has the most potential for rising from the dead. "Murder House" and "Hotel" have demonstrated the most obvious path to immortality. As long as you die within the walls of these iconic structures, you are set for life. Or the afterlife, at least.
Matt Bomer's "Hotel" character, Donovan, is one of many whose connection with Hotel Cortez causes his life to take drastic turns. After grappling with addiction in the '90s, Donovan comes close to death. His only savior is Elizabeth (Lady Gaga) who uses vampirism to save his life. Donovan spends the next 20 years as her immortal lover, much to the dismay of his mother and hotel manager Iris (Kathy Bates).
But when Bomer first signed on to appear in Season 5, his death in Episode 1 was only the start of the character's wild twists. The actor was kept in the dark about how Donovan's character arc would ultimately come together.
Donovan's conclusion with his mother is surprisingly heartfelt
Vampires, ghosts, and creepy children permeate the season of "AHS: Hotel," but that isn't all it has to offer. Season 5 also has emotional resonance in spades. Throughout "Hotel," Iris tries to hold onto her son even though he couldn't be farther away. It was one of the reasons that Matt Bomer was drawn to the season.
"One of the main themes of this season that hit home with me is just about parents and children and how terrifying it is to be a parent," Bomer noted in a featurette. At the end of the season, Donavon dies the last time after Iris and Liza Taylor (Denis O'Hare) try to take out Elizabeth, guns blazing. Donovan takes a barrage of bullets and dies in his mother's arms but medium Billie Dean Howard (Sarah Paulson) assures his mother that he eventually finds peace.
"I never really thought of Donovan's ending as a very nice one, although he did get some kind of nice closure with his mom and with The Countess before he died," Bomer told Decider. This heartfelt ending may have moved fans to tears, but it was news to Bomer. "I don't know why they chose me or if it's something that's occurred to them in between when they hire me and when they write the ending. But I didn't know the ending to this. When I agreed to be a part of it, I didn't know the ending of 'Hotel.'" On a scale of devastating deaths, it is one of the more comforting ones.