Actor Colman Domingo revealed that he once lost out on an acting role because he wasn’t light-skinned. The 54-year-old star of “The Color Purple” says he was passed over for a role in the HBO drama “Boardwalk Empire.”
The New York Times interviewed the “Fear the Walking Dead” actor for an article published on Dec. 22, and Domingo shared his story about auditioning for the period crime drama.
Domingo said that in 2014, he was up for the role of a Black maître d’ at a Black-owned nightclub during Prohibition for the HBO drama, and he nailed his call-back audition while wearing a tuxedo as he sang and danced for the producers.
The Philadelphia native was told by his agent that everyone loved his audition as the “Euphoria” actor thought, “This is the one that’s going to change it up for me. This is the one that’s going to finally be my big break.” Unfortunately, his agent then told him that he was passed over for the role after a researcher on “Boardwalk Empire” reminded the producers that during the Prohibition Era, it was typical for nightclubs to only hire light-skinned maître d’s.
Domingo was at the gym when he heard the news and broke down, screaming and sliding down to the floor. “That’s when I lost my mind,” said Domingo. He added that he told his agent, “I can’t take it anymore, I think this is going to kill me.” The outlet noted that the crushed actor “in his daze” made it home to his husband, Raúl Aktanov, and announced that he was done acting “forever.”
Fans reacted to the news on X, with one fan replying, “Hmmm not surprised and their loss anyway he got better roles anyway.” Another fan wrote, “Imagine missing out on someone this talented over some bulls—t colorism.”
Thankfully, Domingo did not quit acting and snagged a starring role in the AMC drama, “Fear the Walking Dead.” He also went on to win an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama for his role as Ali in “Euphoria” on HBO. He is currently starring as Mister in “The Color Purple” and won the praise of forever President Barack Obama for his role as civil rights activist Bayard Rustin in the Netflix drama “Rustin.”
“Rustin” was produced by Higher Ground, Michelle and Barack Obama’s production company, and the film is expected to be an Oscar contender. Domingo was already nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Drama for the role.
Domingo also revealed that he has become an “offer-only” actor, meaning he won’t audition for roles any longer and will only accept a role if it is offered based on his past work.
“I became an actor that was ‘offer-only’ probably sooner than the industry thought I should have,” he said. “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.”
Domingo has also had roles in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “If Beale Street Could Talk.”
