'The Color Purple' Actor Says His Skin Color Led to Rejection From Emmy-Winning HBO Show
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Colman Domingo has had quite the journey in Hollywood over the past decade. After cutting his teeth as a theater actor in New York City, The Color Purple actor started landing small spots in TV shows and movies. But for one hit show in particular, he faced an unexpected obstacle that kept him from the role: his skin color.
Domingo reflected on the rejection in a recent interview with The New York Times. He auditioned for a role as a maître d’ at a Black-owned nightclub in the Emmy-winning HBO series Boardwalk Empire and thought he did a great job. His agent confirmed he impressed the producers, but had to deliver some tough news to the actor. Because maître d’s in those nightclubs at the time were usually light-skinned, Domingo lost out on the role because he was too dark-skinned.
The rejection messed with Domingo's head—so much so that he considered quitting Hollywood altogether.
"That’s when I lost my mind," the Rustin star said. He confessed to his agent that he believed his time was up. "'I can’t take it anymore,'" the actor recalled saying. "'I think this is going to kill me.'"
Luckily, Domingo didn't throw in the towel and kept working hard to claim his place in a crowded field of actors. In 2015, he began starring in Fear the Walking Dead and went on to appear in beloved movies like If Beale Street Could Talk, Zola, and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. His hard work on screen eventually paid off and came full circle when he won an Emmy Award for his role on another smash HBO series, Euphoria.
In the new reimagining of The Color Purple, Domingo steps into the role of Mister opposite stars like Fantasia Barrino and Taraji P. Henson. While Oscar nominations have yet to be released, he's already up for a Golden Globe for his starring role as civil rights leader Bayard Rustin in Rustin and other awards for his part in The Color Purple.
The Color Purple opened to $18 million on Dec. 25, making history as the second-highest-grossing Christmas Day release of all time. That's something Domingo and the rest of the cast can sing about.
