‘Euphoria’ Actor Colman Domingo Says ‘I Lost My Mind’ After He Was Rejected From A Role Because Of His Skin Color

December 27, 2023 by Kay Johnson in Film with 0 Comments

Colman Domingo

‘Euphoria’ Actor Colman Domingo Says ‘I Lost My Mind’ After He Was Rejected From A Role Because Of His Skin Color

Actor Colman Domingo has come a long way in his career.

The TV and film star recently opened up about experiencing immense rejection in the acting industry for reasons that sometimes had nothing to do with his talent.

Colman Domingo

Reportedly, Colman Domingo, 54, told a story about auditioning for the HBO series “Boardwalk Empire” back when he was only able to read for one or two-line roles. The series was reportedly casting for a maître d’ at a Black-owned nightclub. It seems the “Euphoria” star thought that the job could lead to bigger offers and allegedly went all out for the audition, attending the callback in a tuxedo with a singing and tap dancing routine.

While the casting directors were reportedly impressed, the role ultimately went to someone else. An article from the New York Times detailing how the situation went down read:

“His agent began [the] call by saying that everyone on ‘Boardwalk Empire’ had loved his audition. 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. There was just one problem, his agent said. After the callback, a historical researcher on the show reminded producers that the maître d’s in those nightclubs were typically light-skinned, and Domingo was not. ‘Boardwalk Empire’ had passed.”

Colman Domingo

After learning why he didn’t get the role Domingo’s hopes had seemingly been shattered. He added in the interview:

“That’s when I lost my mind,”

And shared that he told his agent:

“I can’t take it anymore, I think this is going to kill me.”

In the end, it’s a great thing he didn’t give up on his dream. To date, Domingo has become an Emmy Award winner for his recurring role as Ali Muhammed on the hit HBO drama series “Euphoria.” Additionally, he has also had starring roles in the Oscar-nominated films “If Beale Street Could Talk” (2018) and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (2020).

The entertainer is reportedly on track to earn his first solo Academy nomination for his starring role in the Netflix film “Rustin.” In addition to that, it’s quite possible Domingo could get a second nom for his starring role in the critically acclaimed remake of “The Color Purple”, which just hit theaters to the tune of $18 million on Christmas day.

Elsewhere in the interview, Domingo shared that nowadays he doesn’t even audition for roles. Explaining his choice to become an “offers-only” actor, he reportedly stated:

“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.”