Colman Domingo was “too black”
This casting almost meant the end of his career
Colman Domingo is now a sought-after actor – it wasn’t always that way.
© Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock
At a casting nine years ago, Domingo’s skin color was the exclusion criterion. He almost ended his career as a result.
The talent was there, as was the will – but the color of his skin was a problem. The American actor Colman Domingo (54) reports in a new interview that he almost gave up his career nine years ago after he couldn’t have exactly the right skin color in a casting.
After the audition, his agent told him that they would have liked to cast him, but decided against him due to concerns about “historical accuracy.” Accordingly, people of color with lighter skin than Domingos were sought for the role. According to Colman, a researcher had told the producer that head waiters in black-owned nightclubs at the time were typically black, with lighter skin color than Domingo.
“That was the moment I lost my mind”
“That was the moment I lost my mind,” Domingo now remembers. And told his agent: “I can’t take this anymore, I think this is going to kill me.” He then seriously considered leaving the industry in a conversation with his husband.
He’s now had a breakthrough with series like “Fear the Walking Dead” and films like the Oscar-winning “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Colman can currently be seen in the film biography “Rustin” and in the musical film “The Color Purple”.
No more auditions
He doesn’t do auditions these days, even though it’s probably too early, says Colman. Instead, he only responds to offers. “But I decided that I have a body of work. You can look at it, you can ask other directors about me and make me an offer or not.”