Out actor Colman Domingo continues his rise to fame and this year was named by Time Magazine as one of the most influential people in the world. It’s been a slow climb for him to become a household name, but his hard work is now quickly paying off.
He performed on Broadway with several productions, including Well and Passing Strange, then was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for The Scottsboro Boys. He wrote the book for Summer: The Donna Summer Musical and played Billy Flynn in Chicago. Later he returned to musicals onscreen with Netflix’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and last year’s The Color Purple.
For two years he performed on The Big Gay Sketch Show and became a series regular on AMC’s Fear of the Walking Dead before winning a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series with HBO’s Euphoria.
He stayed busy with historic parts in Lincoln, Selma and 42. As the civil rights activist Bayard Rustin, he was the first Afro-Latino to be nominated for a Best Actor Academy Award and was also a rarity for being an openly queer nominee playing a gay role.
The new A24 film Sing Sing has him portraying another real-life person named John “Divine G” Whitfield, who was in the Rehabilitation Through the Arts program while he was incarcerated. Founded in 1996, the RTA holds workshops in theater, music and dance to promote creativity.
This talented man visited the Windy City to talk about how spending time at Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining, New York changed his life.
Windy City Times: Hi, Colman. Last time we met up for an interview you were flying into Washington DC for Netflix’s Rustin on a red-eye because the strike had ended in time for you to promote it. This time there were tornadoes in Chicago so you had to drive up from Indiana. You are such a trooper for press junkets!
Colman Domingo: Apparently I can’t do anything easy. My life is always crazy! [laughs]
WCT: I work in a recovery center during the day where I facilitate groups similar to Sing Sing, and some of the patients come from the prison system. It really ties in with the movie in some ways.
CD: It does. Anyone coming from recovery and working through trauma is part of the same story.
People are not defined through their worst acts. They can do the work and be accountable. I have a long leash for a friend that does me wrong, and we will talk about that conflict. I want the same grace back as I give them. It is about being human. We make mistakes and sometimes say terrible things, but it is about accountability and wanting to do better. We all have the same path.
WCT: That’s very true and I see it every day.
CD: When I found out about the Rehabilitation Through the Arts program at Sing Sing, that is exactly what it does. They put their money where their mouth is and the program does work.
WCT: How was it working with people who have been through the actual program and had never acted before?
CD: It was fun. I didn’t look at people without acting training as an oddity or someone removed from my own experience. I want to make sure that they are not nameless or faceless. They are so much more than just men who are incarcerated.
I think the film does this beautifully; it’s not about what got them into this institution, but about their path of redemption. They did the work, so that is where I wanted to meet them. I met them as fellow artists who love Shakespeare. We wrestled with text and language to figure it out. We have all become very dear to each other.
WCT: One of the cast members, Clarence Maclin, came from the system and is truly special.
CD: He’s wonderful isn’t he?
WCT: He visited Chicago for an early screening and it was obvious he loved every minute of it.
CD: He has been waiting for this. When the acting bug bit him, he had a new path. He knew that art was something that could heal and repair him. He clung to the arts like I have. I loved watching him on his first outing. I told him the other day that it’s not always like this ,because I want him to be grounded in what this is. I wanted to remind him of what I know is true and that this is a service we are providing.
Whatever led him to this film has a bigger picture and we are putting something beautiful into the world. He has talked about the program helping people afterwards to heal their communities which they have harmed in the past.
WCT: Were there any gay-identifying prisoners in the film?
CD: Not that I know of, but possibly. I didn’t ask. I never heard anything disparaging from anyone while filming. I am very public about who I am. I was met with hugs and even kisses on the cheek. I only felt warmth and love.
It might be unusual for them, but based on the setup I received, nothing but love.
WCT: What was a big takeaway for you associated with this project?
CD: It deconstructed what I thought about people who were incarcerated. The film works on that as well, because just when there is a certain trope about someone or a situation, the rug is pulled out from under the viewer. The rug was constantly pulled out from underneath me too.
I got to know these men in a deeper way. Once I understood them, I got to know the building blocks they had when they were kids, and how they were loved or not loved. I am a product of how I was raised. I was adored and told I was special. For them, the world told them they were something else. They were taught to be hardened and unfeeling. They became angry because they were not loved. It’s radical that they call each other beloved, especially in this environment. The idea of Black and Brown men not calling each other thugs and beloved instead was a radical act of love.
WCT: In the fatherhood unit at my work, they call each other “King.”
CD: To say that to each other over and over is important. “Hey, King, how are you?” It’s beautiful and we all need that.
WCT: It’s about breaking down stigma and humanizing each other, isn’t it?
CD: Yes and I love that we are talking about it. I want people to know that I am thoughtful about humanity period. It’s doesn’t have to be about being queer. I went into this hyper-masculine environment and have tried to deconstruct these ideas about men by telling these stories. We shouldn’t live in a silo. We all need to help each other and help these stories come out.
Look at the civil rights movement. It was about all of us, not just some of us.
WCT: Were you worried about any of the controversy surrounding the Michael Jackson movie?
CD: No, there is controversy with everyone these days. For me, it is about telling the story of one of the greatest performers of all time. Playing Joe is a polarizing role, and there are many opinions about him. I go on a journey to look through his lens and see what he created. I had the time of my life.
WCT: Why do you think Hollywood is casting you as abusive characters, like Albert “Mister” Johnson in The Color Purple and Joseph Jackson in Michael?
CD: I have the curiosity to play these guys and the capacity. I know I can play villains and heroes.
I am fearless in that regard, and a lot of actors won’t play the roles that I play. They won’t even look at a role like X in Zola or Mister in The Color Purple. For me, I find their humanity, which is why I don’t see them as a villain. I see them as a broken human. I always look forward to finding all those dark spaces within them.
I think that goes back to my theater background. I have played everything and I like it that way. Once I play something once, I don’t like to play another version of it. I’m just not interested in that. Sometimes a casting agent will have seen me play something and give me a similar role. I always tell them, “Absolutely not! ”
WCT: It is working out well for you with many nuances to your performances.
CD: I saw a reel of my work recently and I saw all the different looks I have given over the years. Sometimes I look heavier, skinnier, older or younger depending on the part. My voice may sound higher or it drops lower. To me, that is the fun. When people meet me then they see how I am in real life. I am just a geeky dude! [both laugh]
WCT: What is your next project?
CD: I am doing The Four Seasons Netflix television series with Tina Fey and Steve Carell. I shoot that in the fall. I am looking forward to that and I get to flex my comedy chops.
I have been in dark comedies like Zola, but I haven’t done anything light-hearted while wearing a good sweater and having on handsome makeup in a while. I have been in prosthetics for the last four years, whether it was Rustin or Joe Jackson. I am ready to be a person closer to myself!
WCT: It has been such a treat to watch your career and know you as a person.
CD: We have known each other for a while now.
WCT: Looking at the Martin Luther King, Jr. photos in the Library of Congress together was a special moment for me.
CD: Wasn’t it just incredible?
WCT: Yes. Your fashion on red carpets gives Billy Porter vibes. Weren’t you wearing a gold cape when I saw you at the Critics Choice Awards in Los Angeles?
CD: Oh yeah.
WCT: Who is your stylist?
CD: Wayman + Micah are a duo in LA. They are fantastic. We are creating and telling stories along the way. I can go through every image and outfit to tell a story about it.
It was the first time I had been part of an Oscar campaign. I know what it means as a Black person who is queer and from the inner city. Everyone is looking at me to have the right look. I know because I went to the Essence Festival a few weeks ago. People talked about my style and what it meant to them. Style is where we show who we are in every way. I don’t take that for granted. People look at how I carry myself and that’s important, not just for me or you, but for all of us. I represent a lot of people and it’s never just about me. I have to show up and be out for all of my peeps!
WCT: You get the machine of show business and will fly in last minute ready to go with a look.
CD: I feel I am from the 1940s and I am inspired to be the Cary Grant of my time!
Witness Domingo in the Divine performance of a lifetime as Sing Sing opens in Chicago on Aug. 2.