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San Francisco’s Frameline Film Festival has always held a special place in Colman Domingo’s life. “It’s embedded in my heart,” he said. Having lived in San Francisco from 1991-2001, the actor spent many summers at the festival,
reveling in its film programming, particularly the short films.
As Pride Month came to a close, Domingo returned to the Bay Area and the Castro Theater for the festival’s closing night, where he was honored with Variety’s Creative Conscience Award. Given how much the festival meant to Domingo, it was fitting that he received the honor as Frameline celebrated its 50th anniversary.
Outside the theater, a small crowd patiently awaited his arrival. It grew once Domingo arrived, but the attendees weren’t all strangers; many were familiar faces from his past, including his days as a regional theater actor, a local talent and a rising star. They gathered to congratulate and greet him, creating an emotional moment for Domingo.
Inside, Domingo sat in conversation, in partnership with the Frameline Film Festival, with Variety’s senior artisans editor, Jazz Tangcay, to share his journey.
The Bay Area wasn’t just professionally significant to Domingo; it also held personal importance. It was where he met his husband, Raul Domingo. The couple first connected after spotting each other outside a Walgreens in Berkeley, with Domingo making an effort to find “this mysterious man” through a Missed Connections post. While this element of their story is well-known, Domingo revealed that they had actually met once before — encountering each other in an elevator at Domingo’s agent’s office — but neither realized it until recently. Their meeting was destined.
So, too, was Domingo’s career trajectory. He holds a Tony nomination, Oscar nominations, a BAFTA nomination and an Emmy award. This year alone, his credits include “Michael,” “Disclosure Day” and “Euphoria.”
During the conversation, Domingo reflected on numerous projects, including his work on “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Directed by George C. Wolfe, Ruben Santiago-Hudson adapted August Wilson’s play about a day-long recording session in 1920s Chicago. Domingo plays Cutler, a band member for legendary singer Ma Rainey, played by Viola Davis. In the film, Ma and her band grapple with growing tensions and conversations about art, race and dreams.
Domingo called the film a turning point in his career. Not only did he get to work with Davis, Chadwick Boseman and Glynn Turman, but he also collaborated with Wolfe for the first time. Domingo joked, “I honestly thought that George didn’t like me because I auditioned for him at least five times.”
Domingo added that he was grateful for “Ma Rainey” and the journey of that film, especially since it turned out to be Boseman’s final project. An emotional Domingo shared, “I think we created something so beautiful together, and I know that there were some other dynamics of his illness that it was meaningful to be there with him as he was taking this journey.”
Domingo continued, “Sometimes you don’t know why you’re being sent somewhere, being used, but hopefully you feel like you’re being used as a vessel to be there not only to create art, but also to be a human to somebody.”
He recalled filming a scene where Boseman’s character questions God. “I’ll never forget this moment. It’s a moment that I feel like will stay with all of us.” Domingo said, “I started asking him the question over and over again. And then he exploded with this rage about God. We went into this fight scene, and then George called cut, and then we just grabbed each other and burst into tears. I didn’t know he was ill, and we didn’t know what was going on, but we cried and held each other.”
Wolfe and Domingo reunited a few years later to work together on “Rustin.” Domingo reflected, “It was the first time I was number one on the call sheet.” The film follows the story of civil rights activist Bayard Rustin. Domingo described the opportunity to play one of his greatest heroes as “extraordinary.” He called it a responsibility and said, “I wanted to give him as much complexity and humor and fucked-up-ness and weirdness and make him really human and beautiful.”
Domingo also discussed his work ethic, particularly after landing the role of Victor Strand in “Fear of the Walking Dead.” When the show was on hiatus, Domingo didn’t stop working. He admitted, “I was one of the only actors that was still working outside of it because I didn’t trust it. I was on a show where I could get killed off at any minute, so I still had my hustle on.”
It was during that hustle that he became friends with “Euphoria” creator and showrunner Sam Levinson, who created the character Ali with him in mind. Domingo said, “He wrote Ali for me. He wrote towards what he believed that I could do, that I haven’t been given access to.”
Reflecting on the last five years, Domingo admitted he’s noticed a shift in how Hollywood perceives him. Now a producer, he co-founded Edith Productions in March 2020, with his husband, and he’s also a director and writer. Domingo shared, “I’m being seen now in a way that I’ve always wanted to be seen, which was a multi-hyphenate. I’ve never wanted to just be an actor. I’ve always wanted to act, write, direct and produce.”
Among the films under the Edith Productions banner are “Sing Sing,” “Dead Man’s Wire,” ”North Star” and “It’s What’s Inside.” “I wanted to show the diversity of storytelling, and that’s who we are,” Domingo said. He emphasized his desire to tell stories that inspire and “make you see yourself differently. One of the things that I think is the most special, if anything, is that if anyone wants to know what Edith Productions is about and what we do, they can watch an animated short film of ours called ‘New Moon.'” The short is adapted from Domingo’s play, “A Boy and His Soul.”
He described it as “a little time capsule, a love letter to my mother. It’s a love letter to that time in Philadelphia and all the things that, I believe, make us who we are. It’s inspiring and hopeful. If people go to that, they’ll see that that’s the heart of Edith Productions.”
As the conversation came to a close, Domingo was asked to impart advice. Getting out of his chair, Domingo addressed the crowd and said, “I was talking to someone about finding their voice. And whenever I would teach, I would walk in and say, ‘It’s not really my job to teach you how to be an actor. What I will do is give you skills so you can use your voice and be a good person. You can speak your truth, and if you can use these skills and act as an actor, that’s awesome. But otherwise, if you just say, This is who I am with ten toes down, that’s my goal.’” Domingo encouraged aspiring artists to take action. “For those who have stories that you want to tell — don’t wait. Tell them. If there’s somewhere else you want to go — don’t wait. Just go.”
He shared that his entire career was about taking chances, like moving across the country. Domingo said, “What I would like to say is take a chance on yourself. If you’re sitting here thinking about the thing you want to do, do it with all your heart and trust that people are waiting for you and that you’ll be able to come home someday and stand on a stage where you sat out there and you watched cinema and now you’re a part of cinema.”
