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Colman: It's coming in. Sean: Yeah. Colman: Yeah. Okay.
Colman: It's coming in. Sean: Yeah. Colman: Yeah. Okay.
It's starting to smack me in the face. Just a little bit.
Sean: Hey, what's going on, everybody?
For <i>First We Feast</i>, I'm Sean Evans, and you're watching <i>Hot Ones</i>.
It's the show with hot questions and even hotter wings.
And today we're joined by Colman Domingo.
He's an actor, playwright and director, coming off back-to-back <i>Academy Award</i> nominations for best actor, and into an incredibly busy year.
From the final season of "<i>Euphoria</i>", which premieres on HBO, April 12th, to the return of "<i>The Four Seasons</i>" on <i>Netflix</i> later this spring, to the Spielberg directed sci-fi film "<i>Disclosure Day</i>", in theaters June 12th.
And finally, he plays the Jackson family patriarch in the long awaited biopic "<i>Michael</i>", which is set to hit theaters on April 24th.
Colman Domingo, welcome to the show. Colman: Wow. That was good, man. I sound really busy.
Sean: Well, you are very busy.
Thanks for taking the time. Colman: Sure.
Sean: I know that you're booked.
What's going through your head as you prepare to take on the <i>Hot Ones</i> gauntlet?
I know that you do have a particular fondness for condiments.
Colman: I love condiments, like, dearly.
Like, I'd marry condiments, if I wasn't married already.
My whole side of fridge is filled with condiments, and I'm not, I think I'm feeling a little bit more confident than I was, maybe, an hour ago.
Um, I was, I got really nervous. I don't know why.
It's already on the, oh, on this one. Oh, good. Okay. "Garlic Delight". Mhm. That's nice. That's good.
It's a delight in my mouth.
Sean: So, the music in this film spans some of the most joyful recordings ever made, from "<i>ABC</i>", to "<i>Billie Jean</i>", to "<i>Thriller</i>".
Was there a performance sequence that was most mind blowing to watch on set as a spectator?
Colman: Oh man, there was.
I would say when he does the "<i>Motown 25</i>" performance.
Um, the first time you see the moonwalk. Jaafar is a revelation.
I mean, you've never seen anything like it.
I mean, he goes frame by frame and beat by beat, to really, be really exacting on Michael's dance.
And that's extraordinary. I feel good.
Sean: Are you ready to move on here to wing number two? Colman: Sure. Why not? Sean: All right.
So up next is a pickled garlic Sriracha here. Colman: Ooh. Sean: At the two spot.
Colman: I like pickles, I like garlic and I like Sriracha. So here we go. That's good. That's nice. It's light.
You're trying to psych me out. Right?
You're like, you're like, ah, we're gonna do a little dance with it. It's pretty good.
Sean: So, I've heard you refer to yourself as a "child of the theatre", and then talk about these storied institutions, like the Public Theater, downtown Manhattan, as church.
Do you have a favorite moment in the day-to-day of a stage production?
Like, is there more magic in the pre-show buzz or the curtain call for you? Colman: Hmm.
I think the pre-show buzz is great, 'cause I feel like you're about to go take a leap of faith with a bunch of people who are here to be, to experience something honest, and raw, and exciting. That, those... You get a lot of nerves.
Sometimes you're like, you're singing with your castmates, you're, like, getting in the, the mood of it so you can prepare yourself for the audience. It's just amazing.
Sean: Reflecting back on early performances at places like the <i>Berkeley Rep</i>, or <i>Campo Santo</i> or the <i>California Shakespeare Theater</i>.
Colman: Wow, you went way back.
Sean: Is there a production that you look back on and think of as most impactful or paradigm shifting in your journey as an actor?
Colman: Oh yeah, for sure.
It's "<i><i>Passing Strange</i></i>".
It's a show that I did that was a co-production between <i>Berkeley Rep</i> and the <i>Public Theater</i>.
And anything that I've ever done on Broadway actually started out in a regional theater, and with some wily way of figuring out, we're gonna make some crazy art, and then it becomes commercialized, in some way.
So, "<i>Passing Strange</i>" was that for me.
It was a show that came to me, literally, right after I lost my mother.
And it was the art to sort of, like, I'd say, it saved my life.
It gave me somewhere to put that heartache, and it gave me somewhere to put all the characters that were inside of me, to build a company.
And we just, we really just, like, we stood on the edge, creating a new musical.
And then it moved to Broadway, and then it became successful there.
And then Spike Lee filmed it.
And so, it's one of those special things where I'm like: "Oh, this absolutely changed all of our lives." . White hot mustard sauce.
Ooh, that smells so good. Sean: Taking it in.
Colman: You know I was a connoisseur. It's a wine. Sean: I can tell.
This is a, this is a sauce man right here.
Colman: Oh, that's really good. Sean: Hits. Colman: That's nice. That's really nice.
Sean: And sounds like we're three for three here, with the sauces, like, in your wheelhouse. Colman: That's good.
And it has a little kick. Sean: Mhm.
Colman: It has a little a little kick that comes in a little later.
Sean: And let's not underestimate the cumulative effect here. You know what I mean? We're three down. Colman: Mhm.
Sean: Walls starting to close in, but nothing we can't handle.
Colman: No, we're doing good. We're doing good.
Sean: What's the experience like, for an actor, when you're playing a hero and a villain almost simultaneously?
Like, in a year when you go from "Mister", in "<i>The Color Purple</i>", to then Bayard Rustin and "<i>Rustin</i>".
Does that create like a, kind of, Stanislavsky method vertigo in you as an actor?
Or does it really not work like that? Colman: You know what? I don't know.
But, I feel like I know how to tap into those things in very strange ways.
So, I constantly have that in my career, which is wild, but also that speaks to the work that I do.
I keep challenging myself.
And so, for me, I know that heroes and villains live in every human being, and I want to see how I can make them the most complicated versions of themselves. So, I'm game.
Sean: And then as a talk show host, I'm just curious how you built out your character as a dystopian game show host in "<i>The Running Man</i>"? Colman: Oh, man.
Sean: Like, was there anything that you were particularly drawing on to find, like, the cynicism in hosting?
Colman: Yeah, I went through down the rabbits hole of, like, show hosts.
So, I went to, whether it's Steve Harvey or whether it was like talk show host, it could have been Oprah, it could have been, you know, Wendy Williams, whatever.
And then, eventually, I was like: "What kind of show host, a talk show host is this person?" .
And then, literally, the day before I started rehearsals, they just released the Jerry Springer documentary.
I started watching it, and I'm like: "Whoa, whoa, whoa, I think I have something here." .
Here's someone who is absolutely stirring people up and their ugly selves, and then feels like I have nothing to do with it. I sit back. I'm chill. I didn't do anything.
Someone who can rest easy, but then also stirred all up, and I thought: "Well, that's who he is." .
It says in the script that I'm the most famous show host in the world.
And I thought: "Well, what does that look like?" .
So, I wanted to create that character who was just, like, rich, and fabulous, and a little showy, but also someone who, you know he sleeps well at night. Yeah.
Sean: There's no blood on my hands.
Colman: No blood on his hands at all. Exactly. Ooh, that smells good. Oh, my God.
When I walked in here, it just smelled like hot sauce for, like, everywhere.
Sean: Yeah, yeah, you know, that's, that's an aggregate. You know?
But, once you start taking them out piece by piece, you know, a lot of beautiful colors in here. Colman: Mhm. Colman: That's good. Little smoky. Sean: Mhm. Colman: Mhm. Sean: Peachy.
And then, I think it has that kick at the end. You know?
You're an experienced sauceman.
So, you know, sometimes it can be a little deceiving at first. Colman: Yeah. Sean: And then. Colman: Exactly. Sean: Mhm.
Colman: I think I'm doing all right.
Sean: You're doing great. Colman: Yeah.
I'm judging myself right now. Like: "How am I doing?" . It feels good.
Sean: You're doing great. Colman: Thank you. Sean: Take it from me. Colman: Thank you.
Sean: So, whenever I hear you talk about food in an interview, it's clear that you're someone who knows exactly what you're talking about.
If you could travel at hyper speed for breakfast in London, lunch in Philadelphia, and dinner in LA, how would you break down like your three perfect meals in a food day? Colman: Oh, that's good. Um, breakfast in London.
I think I would just go for a simple English breakfast. You know, very simple.
You know, with the beans and all that good stuff. Lunch in Philadelphia. Oh, man.
I would go for a messy, nasty cheesesteak with, like, some...
Sean: <i>Ishkabibble</i>?
Colman: I would go to <i>Ishkabibble</i> That's my jam. Sean: I know.
Colman: <i>Ishkabibble</i> is everything. It's messy. It's greasy.
You could either go with Provolone or Wiz. I always change it up.
My orders with salt, pepper, ketchup, pickles and sweet peppers.
Um, sometimes I get fried onions.
It all depends on what I like.
But, I love a good cheesesteak. And then dinner.
I would go to LA, and I would go to... I, you know what?
There's a really good place called <i>Clark's Seafood</i>, and it's fantastic.
It's just really good oysters. I love a good oyster.
Sean: An oyster always tastes like a celebration to me. Colman: Yeah, I agree.
I celebrate with oysters every birthday.
This one, I feel like it's, it's gonna mess me up a little bit. Sean: Dangerous.
Sean: Dangerous smelling. Colman: It does.
You know, cause I feel like your body knows chemically, you know what your, what your body likes and what it doesn't like.
And I'm like: "I don't know about this." .
My brain's like: "Be careful." . Let's see.
There's a little chicken on there, blowing fire out of its mouth. Okay. Sean: I know. Colman: All right.
Sean: It's all a disclaimer.
Colman: Don't give it to your chickens.
Sean: Is it true that you choose a unique scent for each character you play?
And if so, can you talk me through how you would define, maybe, a scent for, like, Victor Strand in "<i>Fear the Walking Dead</i>"?
Like, can you talk us through the process?
Colman: You're so good, man.
Not that I'm surprised, but, like, you've done a deep dive. I love...
Sean: Well, I'm gonna have you eat these scorching hot chicken wings.
I gotta meet you halfway, someway. Colman: I love scents.
For Victor Strand, because I was in the apocalypse, I don't think I used that much scent with him.
Sean: Do you have any foundational advice for how one can find their own signature scent?
Like, are there certain personality traits, or style proclivities, that make somebody more, say, like woodsy than citrusy?
Colman: I feel like you can do a character analysis and say: "Oh, you're more like this.
I bet you're like this as a person." .
Like, I like fresh, grassy, I like a little oud.
I like, um, so the scents that I love are like a little playful and, um, but also I'm not afraid of floral either. Like. I love a good... Sean: Let's go. Colman: ... gardenia.
I love, like, something heavy. But, not rose. Rose is...
Sean: What's wrong with rose?
Colman: Rose, there's nothing wrong with rose, but rose, you just got to be very careful with, 'cause it can be overpowering.
It could dominate anything.
And you can't really layer rose.
You know, I like to layer.
I will wear like 3 or 4 scents at one time.
I put a little right here.
I have something different here, and I may put something different on the back. Sean: Whoa.
Colman: So, you know, you could smell me when I'm leaving. Yes.
Sean: Got a full three-act structure here. Colman: Exactly. Exactly.
Colman: "Homegrown Hell"? Okay. "Sauce Leopard".
Sean: Hitting it with the... Colman: Oh, whoa, whoa. Now, calm down. This is...
You're gonna put that on you? Okay. Wow. Okay. This is...
Sean: This is another one that I think...
couple seconds down the line. Colman: Oh, wow. Okay. Sean: Yeah. Colman: It sits. Okay. Oh, wow! Okay. Wait. It's a sneaky little...
Sean: You gotta watch 'em. Colman: Huh, yeah. Colman: It's good.
Sean: So, maybe, this is a naive question, but is there anything uniquely challenging about a trained actor playing an amateur one, like you did in "<i>Sing Sing</i>"?
Like, do you have to unlearn things or are you actually acting better, because you're capturing a raw version of the form?
I, it's just from the outside looking in, just seems like such a galaxy brain endeavor.
Colman: You know what you have to do?
You have to make a decision on the kind of actor that you think that your, your character is.
Is he a good actor or not?
And I made a choice that he was fine.
I was like, I was like: "Yeah, you can you, can make a choice on playing an actor."
, I'm like: "He's really good at what he does." , I'm like: "He's fine.
He, he's, he's good enough." . 'Cause I also felt... Wow. Ooh. Something happened. It just...
Sean: It's the road we're on, going forward. All right, Domingo?
It's just, uh, it's just...
Colman: It just, like, came back. It's just, like... Sean: Yeah. Colman: Oh.
It's just, like, it just hit something in there.
It was like: "I'm not done." .
It was saying: "You could talk, but I'm not done." .
But, I think you really have to make a decision.
And my co-stars, who I loved, and they were all men who went through the rehabilitation through the arts program.
And they were, they were good actors, you know, but I think that they had a rawness to them, which was also their appeal. You know?
They, they, they should not have been expected to be Meryl Streep, you know, but, but, but they had the, the integrity and the heart to achieve, you know, greatness in that way. Colman: Ooh. Sean: Yeah. Colman: "Funky's". Who's, who's Funky? Sean: Yeah.
Well it's, yeah, 'cause it's in the possessive.
So, there is a Funky out there somewhere, you know.
This one's, kinda, the one that knocks me back a little bit. Colman: Ooh. Colman: Ooh. Colman: Ah. Sean: Yeah. Colman: Okay. This is a...
yeah, this one is, um, to be desired. Yeah. This is a, this is a... this is hitting. Sean: Yeah. Colman: Yeah.
It's hitting a little bit.
Sean: We're up in the clouds at this point. Colman: Yeah.
So, you just try to get some breaths. Some zen.
Sean: It's tough in this altitude. Yeah. Colman: Exactly. You're just all... Sean: Yeah. Find it. Colman: It's all good. Sean: Find it. Right there. Right there.
What's your approach to handling a director's note that feels off base to you?
Like, are there any rules of engagement when it comes to on set diplomacy?
Colman: I think you have to...
I know that I've had a practice of, let's say, if there's a note from a director that you're just not sure of.
Sometimes I think the job is just like, look and say: "Mhm, okay, great. Got it."
, and then you go and do what you're supposed to do.
But, I think it's also important to try something. Why not? Try it.
You don't know what's in their head. And same here.
But, I will always ask, as well, as an actor, say: "Can I try one?"
, or I'll always get one for me, if I wanna try something really wild and off-putting, in some way. You know?
Sean: You did a great job of just eloquently nailing that answer.
And then, we just kind of let it out. You know? Colman: Yeah, exactly.
Sean: Just lose a notch on the belt. Colman: That's it. It's zen, man. Sean: That's right.
Colman: As the actor in me, I just go to a zen place, a quiet place. Yeah. And reset.
Sean: Well, you know, you're really gonna need it for this next one, because... Colman: God damn you.
Sean: Next, we have "Da' Bomb Beyond Insanity".
Colman: Yeah, I've seen that before.
This doesn't even smell right. Um, just... All right. Here we go. Colman: Oh. Colman: You were saying? Sean: Yeah. Colman: Ooh.
Sean: Look at that actor in you. Look at that zen.
Colman: You kow, you, listen...
Sean: Look at you finding the balance, right there.
Colman: Listen, I've, I've worked with zombies, I've played Joe Jackson, listen, I've, listen... Sean: No fear. Colman: No fear.
You just, you got to go for it.
You're like: "This is tough.
But, I've been on 16 hour sets that are tougher than this." . Sean: That's right. Colman: Woo!
But it's really coming... Sean: But you know what? Colman: ... in now.
Sean: As far as press goes, as far as interviews go...
Colman: It's coming hard, though. Colman: It's coming in. Sean: Yeah. Colman: Yeah. Okay.
It's starting to smack me in the face. Just a little bit.
Sean: As a photojournalism major, and lifelong performer yourself, do you have any foundational tips for aspiring actors when it comes to taking proper headshots?
Colman: I think I don't even know what you just said. I think, um, I think... listen.
Uh, first of all, you should always try to dress like the job you wanna get. Plain and simple.
You wanna, just show yourself.
You don't wanna do, like, back when I was coming up, you had to have a shot with some, some glasses hanging from your mouth, showing you're, you're smart, looking at a watch, 'cause you're concerned about time.
And then something when you're a thug wearing a leather jacket, you know, like, like me, trying to look like a thug in a leather jacket.
Sean: Yeah, 'cause I'm, I'm a tough guy. Colman: A tough guy.
But, you needed to have, like, four. That was the thing.
And that was back in the day, when you had to staple the headshots together.
We don't do that, thank God.
But, I think you just always have to present yourself as, like, really in the way that, the job that you wanna get.
Sean: What's the biggest mistake young actors make when picking an audition monologue?
Like, are there any lessons that you had to learn the hard way?
Colman: There is, actually.
I would, I've gone into colleges and I would do, sort of, monologue slams.
I would've ask an, uh, student to: "Show me a monologue that presents you and what you wanna do." .
I remember we had this one time, it was at SCAD, in Savannah, and this young woman presented with a monologue, uh, from Neil LaBute's "<i>Fat Pig</i>". And she was a big girl.
And then I said: "So, why did you choose that monologue?"
, and she said: "Well, I think that this is the way that industry will see me." .
And then, I just said it, and I didn't know that it would lead to this, sort of, uh, a reawakening.
I said: "Well, how do you see yourself?"
, I said: "Because, when you walked in, when I talked to you, I saw a queen, I saw Juliet, I saw all these things."
, I said: "So, don't limit yourself." .
And she burst into tears, everyone burst in tears, I burst into tears.
But, I realized that that was part of, I knew that that was my journey.
It was, like, in order for me, and any young person, to say: "How do I want the world to perceive me?" .
You got to perceive yourself first.
I feel it above my lip, like Whitney Houston, how she used to sweat. Colman: Ah, man. Sean: I know.
Colman: That smells like it hurts.
Colman: Oh, why a big piece? No.
Sean: You know how the last one was super hot, and then had no redeeming culinary qualities to speak of? Colman: Yeah.
Sean: It's almost like...
Colman: This is, actually, cool. Sean: ... the worst is over.
That's what I'm talking about.
Colman: This is, actually, good. Sean: Yeah. Colman: I'm good. What you got? What you for me? This is good.
Sean: Which pre-fame job do you remember most fondly?
Working customer service at <i>Macy's</i>, slinging drinks at the <i>55 Bar</i>, or your time as an aerial performer in the circus?
Colman: Man, you do good.
Um, slinging drinks at <i>55 Bar</i>.
I worked at this famous jazz bar in the West Village. It's no longer there.
But, dude, I got to listen to the best jazz musicians from around the world every single night.
You know, I'm a people person.
I think that was the best side hustle gig for me.
I bartended for 15 years.
Sean: From "<i>Nash Bridges</i>", to "<i>True Crime</i>", "<i>Law and Order</i>" and its various spin offs, is there a bit or guest role, from early on in your career, that you think of as like the most interesting character to play?
Even if the screen time and lines were limited?
Colman: Oh yeah, I know exactly what that is.
It was, it was this role, I wish I remembered his name, but it was on "<i>Nash Bridges</i>", and I played a, this criminal who kidnapped Don Johnson's daughter.
They, he busts in to get me, after he finally finds out it's me, and I'm bench pressing in a COOGI sweater.
It's the weirdest thing you've ever seen in your life.
I am dressed in, like, one of those Bill Cosby COOGI sweaters and I'm bench pressing, then he busts in, I'm like: "Oh!" , he, he...
throw the weights off, and then, and then I run towards a door, and he kicks me in the butt through the door.
Then he turns me around in this heavy ass COOGI sweater, and he's like: "Where is she?"
, I'm like: "I don't know."
, he's like: "Where is she?"
and he smacks me, whatever.
And I just remember that was the weirdest thing in the world.
They usually didn't cast people each season.
Once you did that show, that was it for you. But, I kept coming in.
I was like, with a hump on my back or something, I don't know.
But, I just kept transforming, and they never, they never found out it was me.
Sean: Mark of a great actor. Colman: Aah! Sean: All right. All right, Colman. Colman: What is this? Colman: The last dab. Colman: Why pinky up? I mean, what am I doing?
I'm like, I'm like: "What am I doing?" .
Sean: You're sophisticated. Colman: Yeah.
Sean: You're sophisticated.
Colman: Why don't you have your pinky up, you rube? Sean: That's why. You're sophisticated. Colman: Thank you. Here we go. Last dab. Ready? Sean: Cheers. Colman: Cheers.
Sean: And with that, Colman Domingo, the wings of death are behind us. Pinky out. Delicate napkin touch. Colman: Ooh, wow. Okay. Sean: Yeah. Colman: All right. Sean: And, you know...
Colman: Well, a pain shot to the side of my mouth for no reason.
Sean: This has been a wonderfully spicy journey through your acting career.
And I've heard you talk about how theater trained you to find the truth, even in the most extreme of circumstances. And you know what?
There's nothing realer than what we just did.
Eating ten scorching hot chicken wings. Colman: Aha.
Sean: Is there a monologue, or a line, from a play that comes to mind that best distills the kind of truth that you're feeling right now?
Colman: "For aught that I could ever read, could ever hear by tale or history.
The course of true love never did run smooth, but, either it was different in blood, or else misgraffed in respect of years, or else it stood upon the choice of friends, or, if there were a sympathy in choice, War, death, or sickness did lay siege to it, making it momentany as a sound, swift as a shadow, short as any dream, brief as the lightning in the collied night, that, in a spleen, unfolds both heaven and eart.
And ere a man hath power to say 'Behold!' .
The jaws of darkness do devour it up.
So quick bright things come to confusion."
Sean: The jaws of darkness stood no chance.
And look at you, Colman Domingo.
Taking on the wings of death. Living to tell the tale.
And now there's nothing left to do, but roll out the red carpet for you.
This camera, this camera, or this camera.
Let the people know what you have going on in your life. Colman: Uh... I have, um. Ooh. Okay. Hi.
My name is Colman Domingo.
I have a few things going on, besides that pain shooting around my mouth.
It's, like, dancing around, doing figure eights and stuff.
I am, um, I have a second season of, uh, "<i>Teh Four Seasons</i>" coming out on <i>Netflix</i>.
And then I, also, have the third season of "<i>Euphoria</i>" coming out.
And then I have a little biopic about Michael Jackson, called "<i>Michael</i>", coming out.
So, I really hope to, uh, see you in the movie theaters or on the small screen. Mhm. Colman: Oh. Colman: Sweet Jesus. Oh. It keeps going.
Oh, I did it, I did it withou, that was my goal, to see if I can get through it. It was... Sean: No water, no milk. Colman: No. I was like...
But, see, I'm crazy like that. I feel like...
Sean: If Will Forte can do it, I can do it. That's it, right?
Colman: You know, Will Forte...
yeah, 'cause Will Forte did it, and I went to set and I'm like: "You're a maniac." . Colman: Thank you. Sean: Thank you so much.
Colman: Dude, this is great.
Sean: Did you have a good time?
Colman: I had a great time, Sean. This is great, man. Thank you so much. Colman: Ooh.
Sean: Hey, what's going on, <i>Hot Ones</i> fans?
This is Sean Evans, and I wanna introduce you to the new kids on the block.
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And if you want a chance to taste the show, it's easy. Just visit <i>hotones. com</i>, <i>hotones.
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But, most importantly, I believe in you.