Jun 13
Out Actor Colman Domingo Besieged by 'Scripts About Slavery and Being Queer'
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
"Euphoria" actor and "Rustin" star Colman Domingo is gay, but that shouldn't restrict the types of roles he's offered. Still, The Hollywood Reporter said, as head of his own production company, he sees scripts on the daily that would pigeonhole him.
"The two things that I constantly get sent are about slavery and being queer," THR quoted the 54-year-old "Zola" star as saying. "And I always think, 'So why are you sending me this, if this isn't even any of my interests, really?'"
Domingo initially made the remarks to GQ, which ran a photo shoot and profile on the "Fear the Walking Dead" actor.
Domingo has been out throughout his career, and starred on Logo's "The Big Gay Sketch Show" in the 2000s. As he told GQ, "I would always be confused with the people who were suddenly honored because they came out after a long time of being in the closet. And they came out, and suddenly they're given the keys to the city. They're getting more access, they're getting honors and awards and things like this. After a while, you sit there with your own feelings, you're like, But what about the people who just have been out, who've been taking possible knocks or lack of access? And no one's giving them any praise or awards for that?"
In a town where actors are often stereotyped, it's perhaps not surprising that he would be top of mind when it comes to queer-themed film projects. But Domingo's resume is far more extensive than his notable LGBTQ+ roles, including a long list of credits that show him to be a versatile actor who is as capable of voicing animated shows and podcasts and guesting on far-out TV anthologies like "The Twilight Zone" as he is of commanding the stage in a Shakespearean role. The recipient of an Emmy for his "Euphoria" role, Domingo was also nominated for an Oscar for his starring role as the titular protagonist in the biopic "Rustin," about the famously gay (but nearly forgotten) civil rights activist Bayard Rustin. "Domingo was the first openly gay Black man ever nominated for an Academy Award for best actor," GQ said.
Rustin is also an accomplished playwright; he collaborated on the script for his new film, "Sing Sing," and he executive produced the movie. Moreover, he and his husband Raúl run their own production company. In other words, Domingo knows his way around Hollywood and is well-versed in the manifold aspects of show business.
"Now things are a little different because of whatever the Oscar nomination offers," Domingo told GQ. "I'm the same actor that I was before, but it has a bit more currency."
And yet, the pigeonholing factor continues to exert its influence.
"The stories he's most concerned with writing and producing 'have a lot of light in them,'" GQ said, quoting Domingo.
Some of those stories might indeed have queer light, but they all don't have to.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
