Colman Domingo believes he missed out on ‘Boardwalk Empire’ role because he is not “light-skinned” enough
Colman Domingo has said that he was turned down for a role in Boardwalk Empire because he was not light-skinned enough.
The actor, known for his roles in Euphoria and Fear the Walking Dead, has said that he was auditioning for a role in the HBO show in 2014 when he was still seeking a breakthrough in his screen career.
The role in question was a maître d’ in a Black-owned nightclub, and Domingo has explained that despite feeling that he had impressed the casting agents, he was later enlightened about a possible reason for his rejection by one of the show’s researchers.
In an interview with the New York Times, Domingo says that a historical researcher articulated to Domingo’s agent that maître d’s in the sorts of nightclubs in question were typically more light-skinned than Domingo.
“That’s when I lost my mind,” Domingo is quoted as saying. “I can’t take it anymore, I think this is going to kill me.”
Domingo would eventually land the role of the recovering drug addict Ali on HBO’s Euphoria, and he is currently starring as the title character in Rustin, a biographical drama about the life of civil rights activist Bayard Rustin. The film is streaming on Netflix now.
He also appeared in all eight seasons of Fear the Walking Dead, and is appearing in the new film version of The Color Purple.
The show has been hit by claims that some cast members felt uncomfortable about the level of nudity and sexual content.
“Honestly, in my experience, there was none of that,” Domingo said. “I think there’s a lot of talk around it. And I think things get blown out of proportion.”
He went on to describe Levinson as “one of the kindest, open-hearted director-writer-producers that you could ever ask for. There’s just noise because it’s popular and it’s in the zeitgeist. You can’t have a successful show without people wanting to tear some things down.”
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Max Pilley
NME
