Colman Domingo Sees the Good in Every Character

When Colman Domingo was cast as Mister, the contemptuous husband to Fantasia Barrino’s Celie in the musical-film adaptation of The Color Purple, he decided to flip the script on the role, coming at it from a place of compassion and understanding versus hate. Perhaps it is this approach that has made Domingo the esteemed Hollywood star he is. His range is remarkable: He's played a harried, secret-keeping business owner in Nia DaCosta’s Candyman, a menacing pimp in Zola, and a 1920s jazz trombonist in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Meanwhile, on the small screen, he was a fan favorite in Fear the Walking Dead and won an Emmy for his dramatic turn in Euphoria. But it’s his role as Bayard Rustin, the gay activist who was one of the lead organizers of the 1963 March on Washington, in Rustin that Domingo says “was the gift that I really needed.” The biopic, which reunited the actor with his Ma Rainey director George C. Wolfe and is produced by President Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company, Higher Ground, has earned Domingo his first Golden Globe nomination.

This year, you played two very different men: Bayard Rustin, an important civil rights leader, and Mister, the villain in The Color Purple. They are the flip side of each other. Was that difficult?

What was important to me about portraying Rustin was that despite all the obstacles he had against him, especially being an openly gay man in 1963, he was always very hopeful. He believed in the possibility of creating a world the way we need it to be. Aside from his fiery intelligence and wit, he had a well of belief that kept him going.

Mister in The Color Purple is a broken person, and hurt people hurt other people. I have to try and see the good in Mister. I have to love a character to find out how he operates. In my mind, everyone else is the villain, and Mister is the victim. You know, I’m a very optimistic person. I believe there’s room and time for healing.

Were you a theatrical kid?

I was just a nerd, quiet, in the books, trying not to get beat up. I was not a performer in any way. I went to a performance summer camp, and I had a good time with it. I started to enjoy myself and shine. When I went to college, I was a journalism student; I took an acting class as an elective, because my mom was like, "Do something just for fun." Once I took this class, I found my path in many ways.

Was it hard to tell your family that you wanted to be an actor?

It was hard to tell the entire world that I wanted to be an actor! I grew up in inner-city West Philadelphia, where my parents' aspirations for me were: "Be a good citizen. Go to college. Get a job with some benefits." Being an actor, what is that? When I was like, "I'm taking some acting classes," they were very supportive, but they were like, "Okay, that's interesting." When I did my first play in San Francisco, they were still curious about it: "Well, what does all this mean? We really hope he gets himself together and gets a real job at some point." The funny thing is, after I was in the theater for many years, on many stages, doing television, you name it, my sister said to me, "I really hope you get a break." I said, "I am. I'm making my whole life as an actor." But until I did something on Law & Order, then she knew I was an actor. I literally was nominated for a Tony, and my sister asked me, "So are you still bartending down at that bar?"

Do you ever get starstruck?

I'm always starstruck whenever I see President Obama and Michelle Obama. They couldn't be warmer and lovelier. There's a picture of Michelle Obama holding my face from the other day—I was slapping Obama on the back and talking, and at some point I was like, "Is the Secret Service going to come get me, because I'm slapping this dude?"

Oprah Winfrey is the producer of The Color Purple.

Yes, Oprah and I have become dear friends. She’s a love. We were actually on the phone last night, talking about clothes. I was like, I can’t wait for you to see what I’m going to wear to the Color Purple premiere. And then I made her laugh. Her laugh is a laugh that I think nobody knows about—it’s the Oprah-just-talking-to-a-friend laugh and not thinking that she’s Oprah.

How careful are you with the clothes for your characters?

I’m very clear about collaborating with my costume designers. I remember one scene with Rustin: He’s having dinner at his house, and he’s cooking Indian food. I asked for an outfit with a print, something from his travels. I’m like, “Can we find that?” They found this really beautiful print shirt and even a necklace. I was like, “That feels like Bayard.”

Who was your first on-screen kiss?

Paul Rudd. [Laughs]

What movie?

It's called All Is Bright, with me, him, Paul Giamatti, and Sally Hawkins. This is a little-known Christmas movie we did maybe 10, 12 years ago. I played this guy named Nzomo, who's a South African dude who works at a tree stand. Paul Rudd is a great improviser. In one scene, he turned me around and kissed me on the lips. It was very sweet, because he was excited about something. I thought, "Hey, actually, that's my first screen kiss. Did you know that, Paul?"

What is your astrological sign?

I’m a Sagittarius. We are like Labrador retrievers—we are friendly, we love a party. Usually, they say we’re half fool, half philosopher, and that makes a lot of sense.

Senior Style Editor: Allia Alliata di Montereale. Senior Fashion Market Editor and Menswear Director: Jenna Wojciechowski. Grooming by Jamie Richmond for Dior; manicures for portfolio by Michelle Saunders for Chanel. Set design by Peter Klein at Frank Reps. Special thanks to Ms. Bebe at Outfitters Wig Shop in Hollywood.

Produced by Connect the Dots; Executive Producer: Wes Olson; Producer: Zack Higginbottom; Production manager: Nicole Morra; Production coordinator: David Cahill; First photography assistant: Trevor Pikhart; Second photography assistant: Jeremy Eric Sinclair; Digital Technician: Brendan Pattengale; Postproduction by Lucas Rios Palazesi at Quickfix; Fashion assistants: Tori López, Tyler VanVranken, Molly Cody, India Reed, John Celaya, Kaamilah Thomas, Emily Cancelosi, Allie Kessler, Juliana Bassi, Karla Garcia, Jacqueline Chen, Cosima Croquet; Production assistants: Mateo Calvo, Aspen Miller, Nico Robledo, Griffin Koerner, Danielle Rouleau, Nicolo Battaglini, Juanes Montoya, Juan Calvo, Lily Cordingley, Nathan Gallie, Cameron Hoge, Jack Fahey, Cole Ewing, Karlie Ofstedahl; Hair assistants: Takao Hayashi, Andres Copeland; Makeup assistants: Amelia Berger, Willie Huang; Manicure assistants: Rachel Messick, Marissa Asprer; Set assistants: Christopher Crash Richard, Winston Willingham; Tailors: Irina Tshartaryan, Elma Click, Gayane Mnatsakanyan at Susie’s Custom Designs, Inc.