Colman Domingo reveals why He Nearly Left Acting After Losing Out on ‘Boardwalk Empire’ Role
Colman Domingo shared a story about a time when he almost quit acting. In a recent interview with The New York Times, the Euphoria actor talked about the early days of his career and how he auditioned for a role in HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, hoping to play a maître d’ at a Black-owned nightclub.
“This is the one that’s going to change it up for me,” Domingo thought. “This is the one that’s going to finally be my big break.”
The Emmy-winning actor dressed up for the audition in a tuxedo and demonstrated his singing and tap-dancing abilities.
Despite a positive initial reaction, his agency later stated that the historical researcher for Boardwalk Empire saw that the maître d’s in those nightclubs were typically light-skinned. Domingo, who was not light-skinned, was not picked for the role as a result.
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“That’s when I lost my mind,” Domingo recalled feeling. “I can’t take it anymore, I think this is going to kill me.”
More than ten years later, Domingo has changed his approach to finding work. He has taken on lead roles in recent films like Rustin and The Color Purple. Acknowledging his growth, he admitted, “I became an actor that was ‘offer-only’ probably sooner than the industry thought I should have. But I decided I have a body of work. You can go and look at it, you can ask other directors about me, and you can make me the offer or not.”
Now enjoying recent success, Domingo is embracing the moment, saying, “All the films, all the lights, all the accolades, all the beautiful critical responses – I want to bathe in all of that right now.”
Colman Domingo reveals why He Nearly Left Acting After Losing Out on ‘Boardwalk Empire’ Role
