Colman Domingo may just be one of the seminal actors of our time. The actor has key roles in films such as “Selma,” “If Beale Street Could Talk,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “Zola,” just to name a few. An impressive Tony-nominated resume on Broadway, and yes, a pivotal performance on HBO’s sensation, “Euphoria.” And, currently, he’s portraying the role of Mister in Blitz the Ambassador’s big-screen adaptation of the musical version of “The Color Purple.” And based on Domingo’s enthusiasm over Blitz’s vision, the film sounds like something truly special.
READ MORE: Zendaya on “Euphoria’s” Rue: “I hope that’s her rock bottom”
“I think it’s actually going to the roots of the book, in many ways, even more so, but also goes into the imagination of Ceilie played by Fantasia, beautifully,” Domingo says. “She has a vivid imagination. I think we see her imagination come to life in juxtaposition to her reality. So, we see where her dreams will take her, where her soul lives, and I think that’s a beautiful visual landscape, with music and photography. So, I think that’s what’s cool about it, and we have a great cast, and I love working with Fantasia and Taraji P. Henson and Corey Hawkins and Danielle Brooks. And mostly everyone comes from the theater. Taraji does as well. She comes from musical theater, but Fantasia? She brings something so beautiful from her experience as a vocalist. She’s got skills that she doesn’t even know she has. That’s what’s exciting to see, what her instincts are as a storyteller with music. The way it translates on film, it’s going to knock your socks off, and I play the villain. Of course, I play the villain.”
Domingo may have played some dark characters recently, but as Ali, Zendaya’s on-screen sponsor in “Euphoria,” he’s pretty much a patient and forgiving angel. Over the course of our interview, he discussed the road his character has taken so far and whether the show’s creator, Sam Levinson, has told him what’s in store for Ali in season three. Domingo also weighs in on Lexi’s incredible “how can this be a high school musical production” musical, the fans rooting for him to land an Oscar nomination for “Zola” and whether Academy members need to expand their screening horizons.
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The Playlist: I was lucky enough to be at the Academy Museum Q and A you guys did that you moderated, and I’m curious, compared to all of the other projects and shows you’ve worked on, what distinguishes “Euphoria” for you?
Colman Domingo: “What distinguishes ‘Euphoria’ for me?” I don’t know. I think the reason why it’s hit the zeitgeist in such a hard-hitting, watchable way is because it’s really getting into something that is very, very on the tip of people’s tongues, and in their spirit, and its conversations that they need to have. I feel like it’s deep in conversation, to be honest. I think that no one is really talking about addiction in such complex ways. It’s not just about the disease of addiction with drugs or alcohol, but it could be sex, or adulation, or food, or Instagram, or Twitter. It’s our culture, and I think that’s what I think is very important and what distinguishes it in such a great way. It’s really examining who we are right now, through what we need. There’s something to say in the special episode that we did.
Anytime I talk about “Euphoria,” it makes me think of this because I think that I go back to that special episode that Sam wrote for me and Zendaya. And there’s so much about the series, of really the ethos and the heart and soul of what Sam is interested in exploring with this whole series. It’s not only the disease of addiction, but it is about, “What have we all fed into? We’re all poisoned, and we don’t even know that we’re all tainted in some way, shape, or form. So, we shouldn’t judge each other. We should just try to get better and hold each other’s hands and get some redemption at some point.” So, I think that’s why it’s very unique in why it stands apart for me for so many things that I do, but it’s also in conversation with things, as an artist, that I’m interested in, and really how we examine who we are and who we can become. That’s very conscious of me. I know that anyone can look at any of my work, and the work is all about that in a simple way.
Sam has discussed his own battles with addiction. Is your character based on anyone he had in his life or is Ali something you collaborated on together?
It’s a little bit of both. He did have a sponsor that is based on Ali, and he was a guy who loves jazz, and he loves women. He was addicted to drugs, alcohol, and sex. And he is a very compelling character, who really sort of influenced Sam in many ways, and really held him accountable to make some other choices. I know he drove a truck, the way I drive a truck. There’re so many things that I think Sam is good at. I think he loves Ali, and he loves Ali’s mind and knew that his mind was bigger than his addiction. Sam and I, he’s one of those people I can talk to for hours, and we talk about everything under the sun, from politics to science, to art, travel. You name it. The conversations are never bullshit. They go deep. They’re funny. They’re acerbic, and I think that he infuses a lot of Ali with that as well. I think that he knows I can handle a lot of language, and he knows that I can make that language active and funny and weird and smart all at the same time, which is very similar to what he wants for his Ali character, and how he influences, not only Ruth’s journey but also what his engine is with the show.
One of the things that came out of that Q&A was Zendaya revealing that some of the scripts before the pandemic hit remained in season 2 and others didn’t. The particular episode where Rue has her relapse was one of the few that remained in some form. Did you know that would be her fate when you shot the special episode during the pandemic? Did you think it was inevitable for her character?
You know what? It’s funny, because I don’t know if I have a terrible memory, but we did the table read. We read all the scripts. This is literally the day before we shut down before [the stay-at-home].
Wow.
Actors are just… we’re focused on what the hell we’re doing. I’m like, “That other stuff, but what is the arc of this character?” So, I’m too busy taking notes on that. And a lot of my work actually ended up in the special episode and then he wrote towards some other things in season two. So, my arc in that table read was all those conversations were spread out over episodes, and then it was just put into one magnificent conversation, which was great. I didn’t recall that, but also, to be honest, I think maybe it’s, in my mind, even if I read that, seeing it is a totally different thing. Seeing it and experiencing what they crafted in that episode was magnificent and dark and painful, and I don’t think that I saw that just by reading it on the page.
I get it. In season two, though, after Rue’s relapse, your character has to decide whether he is going to bring her back into the fold. Did you feel this was something Ali would obviously do?
I think what I love to do is play everything moment to moment. And when she turns and uses his pain, his hurt, his past, in that scene, he is deeply hurt, deeply wounded, and I don’t think that he is in a place of forgiveness or feeling particularly lovely about this young woman. So, that wasn’t honoring that truth, and I think, when he had some distance from her for some episodes, and finally, when she calls, first of all, he picks up. That’s also very interesting. He does pick up. Picking up is already just saying [something]. But he’s also just like, “What do you want?” I think, he already shows grace by picking up the phone, and then she apologizes, and we shot that scene actually on the set of Cal’s house, and Zendaya and I were looking across from each other, and actually just recording my phone conversation while we’re acting together.
And I was able to look her in the eyes to see whether or not she meant that she was sorry or not and then, “What does that mean for me as a character? Am I big enough to hold myself accountable when it comes to an act of redemption?” This is a moment this young woman is asking for forgiveness, and I have to look deep into my soul to say, “I can forgive her and put away my hurt.” I think that’s what this show is about, to be honest, about redemption, about forgiveness, about getting better, about the questions of, “Who is a good person? Who is a bad person?” If that’s a thing, it’s actually, “Who is a human being?” You know what I mean? So, I’d like to think that Ali found it, in the moment, to have grace. I think grace is a practice. It’s something you have to practice every day. I personally feel that way. We all can burn it down, but we also can try to make it heal. We all have that power, and I think that [and] in that moment, he was trying to figure out how to use the power. “Do I do it to admonish her, or do I do it to just try to make it all better for both of us?”
Has Sam given you any heads up about where your character may go for season three?
A little bit, but you never know with Sam. It could all change. I mean, he changes scripts left and right, but from what I know, he wants to continue with an interesting arc for Ali, and it will be even more complex. I think that, just like in the special episode, we were able to peel back and see what makes him tick, what makes him hurt, his family, and what’s his Achilles heel. And then we also know his past. We also don’t know how that past will show up in some way, shape, or form. He talks a lot about what he used to do, so I think that’s just very interesting, that we have a lot to mine from, and I don’t know where it’s going to go.
As far as you know, is season three going to shoot this year? Most of the cast is quite busy.
No idea. I mean, I know that the beautiful thing is we all try to make it happen. I’m on another series, “Fear of the Walking Dead,” I’ll reach out to Sam, “I have a week off here.” They will cram in and I’ll shoot an episode in a day. He’ll work with you. We’ll all figure it out because when you want to do something, you’ll make it work.
As someone who has a prolific career in the theater, what did you think of Lexi’s high school production?
I thought it was the most expensive high school production I’ve ever seen in my entire life. I was like, “Wait, what?”[Laughs.] That’s the theater nerd in me. I just like, “Those Broadway production values!” I said, “We really have to examine this school and where they’re getting its funding from. Is it a public school, or is it a private school?” I thought it was public, but it feels private, but I thought it was actually fantastic. I thought it was a great way to tell a story and turn a story around and have people see themselves through that safe… It’s supposed to be safe… That safe haven theater, but then, of course, people just jumping over, breaking the fourth wall, and jumping on stage and slapping people. It’s just wild.
It was a lot. I did love it though, and I also want to know where they got the budget or the rehearsal time. But, speaking of musicals, I think you’re shooting “The Color Purple” musical movie right now. Is that correct?
I’m doing it right now, yeah.
How is the production going? I know you don’t want to spoil too much but can you talk about Blitz the Ambassador’s vision for it? Based on his previous work, it may not be what people expect from a stage musical.
I agree. I think that’s exactly the best way to put it. Blitz is an incredible visual artist, and I think he’s got such a great vocabulary for how this story lives emotionally, with his visual language, the way he’s going to shoot it, the way the musical numbers are. I think the thing that I think I can say is that if anyone saw, whether it’s the film or the Broadway musical, it is sort of a hybrid. I think it’s actually going to the roots of the book, in many ways, even more so, but also goes into the imagination of Ceilie played by Fantasia, beautifully. She has a vivid imagination. I think we see her imagination come to life in juxtaposition to her reality. So, we see where her dreams will take her, where her soul lives, and I think that’s a beautiful visual landscape, with music and photography So, I think that’s what’s cool about it, and we have a great cast, and I love working with Fantasia and Taraji P. Henson and Corey Hawkins and Danielle Brooks. And mostly everyone comes from the theater. Taraji does as well. She comes from musical theater, but Fantasia? She brings something so beautiful from her experience as a vocalist. She’s got skills that she doesn’t even know she has. That’s what’s exciting to see, what her instincts are as a storyteller with music. The way it translates on film, it’s going to knock your socks off, and I play the villain. Of course, I play the villain.
You do. How do you find sympathy for Mister or is that not important?
It’s always important. I think that I’ve been playing a series of, I don’t know, I’ll just say “villains” but, I would say, complex men. You have to find the thing about these people that you love, “What they want,” “What happens when their dreams are deferred,” “Why do hurt people hurt people?” That was the first thing I wrote down in my first rehearsal, which is, “Why do hurt people hurt people?” When I try to figure that out, it’ll humanize Mister, and that’s something that we haven’t seen yet, actually, of, “Well, why is he doing this? No one is just evil and mean and just abusive.” Abusers are never just abusive. They’re broken. They hurt, deeply. They’re acting out in some way. So, I know that’s my job, to find that, so you can understand his function in all these women and their lives. I think, once I tapped into that, I think I can find all those dark places, those terrifying places, and also those moments, those rare moments, and those glimpses of humanity with him.
I know it didn’t happen, but there were so many people rooting for you to earn an Oscar nomination for “Zola” especially on social media and on Twitter. It felt like, every day, I couldn’t go through my feed without seeing someone talking about it. Did that mean anything to you? in that people were rooting for you so much?
It always means something to you when somebody is rooting for you. It’s always the nicest thing too. I’m so proud of that film, and I’m so proud of my work in it, to be honest, and I’m so glad that it was amplified in the way that it was, because I think, a lot of times, we don’t see the complexity. And I’ll just say it. We don’t see the complexity and work from people of color at times. When people think that they’re just playing a version of themselves, and you’re like, “No, it’s detailed, nuanced work,” and I think that, to be honest, I don’t think that Janicza Bravo’s work was as amplified as it could have been as well. And she’s an auteur, in the greatest sense, and I think the performances of Riley Keough, Taylour Paige, and Nicholas Braun, I think we did a good job.
And so I loved all the love in response, especially everyone who was really galvanized too. They wanted that critical response from the academy for my work. People wanted it for me, and I think it’s beautiful. And I will say this. It is that I think, not only do I love that, and I hear it, but also understand the nature of this business, which is, I honestly felt like many people didn’t in the academy didn’t see our work. I have people, to this day, saying, “I finally saw ‘Zola.'” I think we have to get to the core of that. It’s like, “Well, then our work isn’t competitive if you don’t see it.” You know what I mean? I’ve watched all of these other stories, “Power of the Dog,” everything like that. But the same people don’t watch our stories in the same way. So, how can it be amplified? I’m a member of the Academy, and I’m actually looking for ways to make sure that we can all see each other’s work, and judge accordingly. It’s not even because of me or, not having that amplified with that nomination, but it’s because I think it’s a systemic issue that, “How can a film work be amplified if you don’t see it?”
I do have sympathy for Academy members who are working like you are, and are busy and feel like they don’t have the time to just sit down and watch a film because they’re in the middle of production, or whatever. But I do feel like maybe the Academy needs to tell its members, “Hey, watch two movies a month. Don’t wait till Christmas or Thanksgiving to watch all your screeners,” because I have friends who are members of the Academy, and they definitely try to see as much as they can, but then there’re others who work in the business, and they get to the end and I’m like, “Going through my screener pile,” or now digital pile and still miss too much.
And they’ll just vote for the thing that they hear is popular.
Yes.
They will vote for something with a friend that they love, or something like that, but I think you’re absolutely right. I know I take my responsibility as an Academy Member very seriously, and sort whether I speak and do conversations with the Academy, but also I make sure I watch my peer’s work. Even things that I’m thinking, “That may not appeal to me, but I should watch it. It’s part of why I love what I do, and I think that’s where we all have to be. We’ll all figure it out. We’ll get there. I think we’ll get there.
“Euphoria” season two is available on HBO Max.
