Colman Domingo participating in a moderated discussion about his career on the Arlington Theatre stage. (Lance Sanchez / Daily Nexus)
On Jan. 10, 2015, a steadily rising Colman Domingo entered the Arlington Theatre for the first time by invitation of Oprah Winfrey to see a special screening of their film “Selma.” A decade later, his career has skyrocketed and he is welcomed back as the guest of honor, commemorated for “Sing Sing” and his other work by the same woman behind his first visit to Santa Barbara.
Domingo brought an abundance of love with him as he was presented the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) Montecito Award for great contribution to film on Valentine’s Day. With SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling moderating the retrospective of Domingo’s career and talk show legend Winfrey presenting the award, the night saw a heartfelt tribute that brought Domingo, Durling and members of the audience to tears.
In a red carpet interview, Durling told the Daily Nexus, “I love Colman,” going on to predict that the final tribute event of the festival might be his favorite from this year. By the end of the night, he wholeheartedly declared it as his “favorite evening” in all 23 years as head of the festival.
It was immediate waterworks from Domingo when he stepped up to the stage after a montage of his work and opening remarks from Durling that praised his versatility, vulnerability and vision in his art. Durling first saw Domingo on Broadway in 2008, when he played three separate characters in the rock musical “Passing Strange.”
“As a devoted admirer of Colman Domingo for so long, what is enthralling to see is how his early work in theater — the specificity, the dexterity, the research, the conviction and the intelligence that this performer displayed on the boards is now being finally utilized. His potential that always was there is now realized,” Durling said.
Domingo began his career working primarily in theater, writing his one-man autobiographical play titled “A Boy and his Soul” in 2009 before taking parts in “Chicago” and “The Scottsboro Boys,” for which he received a Tony Award nomination. During this time he was also booking supporting roles in films including “The Butler,” “Selma” and Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln.”
In 2023, Domingo was a frontman for the first time on screen in “Rustin,” a biopic about Bayard Rustin, an openly gay advisor to Martin Luther King Jr. Domingo is now in the midst of promoting “Sing Sing,” also a true story of how theater rehabilitated a group of incarcerated men. The two roles earned him consecutive best actor nominations at the 96th and 97th Academy Awards, respectively.
Coming from a working background, paying his way through college with two jobs, supporting his late parents through illnesses and facing multiple rejections were all part of the long road to fame, according to Domingo. He said every setback gave him the resilience to play the complex characters he is known for with heart and emotion.
“There’s no guarantees for an artist, you’re just trying to find your way and be in service and to be useful as an artist. And sometimes you don’t get the breaks or you don’t get the opportunity, and sometimes you’re standing right there and you’re doing the work and you’re being a good citizen and good artist and sometimes you’re passed over. I understood that for a very long time,” Domingo said.
In addition to the “raw talent” a theater professor once told him he possessed, Domingo exercises careful study of his scripts and characters prior to stepping into a role, a trait he believes originates from his “journalistic heart.” Despite this, Domingo said he has very little formal training in his craft and mainly learned through work and practice.
“I like to rehearse, and I like to get my scripts way in advance, and I love practice, research and study. ’Cause for me, if I have that, I feel like by the time I get to set I can be free, and I can play jazz. But I don’t know how to play jazz until I know what the notes are,” Domingo said in an interview with the Nexus.
Domingo posing on the SBIFF red carpet. (Lance Sanchez / Daily Nexus)
Durling took a moment to thank Domingo for being an openly gay man who is able to demonstrate emotion and gentleness. He told the Nexus that as an introverted young queer man himself, film was how he found connection in the world, and Domingo in particular was someone who inspired him.
“Ever since I was a little kid, I always felt like an outcast, like I didn’t belong. But in movies, when the lights are down, we’re equal in the dark. And then we have the common language of cinema. And I understood that I may not fit in with everybody but that I could talk to people about film, and we had that in common,” Durling said. “I am the nerdiest person in the world, but get me talking about film, and then I become an extrovert, and I feel like myself.”
As an up-and-coming actor, Domingo said he never feared his identity as a gay man may take opportunities away from him. He was unabashed as he came into his own with unconditional love and support from his family.
“I’ve been loved deeply. My parents were such good parents, and they were fun and funny and interesting and weird. And they inspired me to be exactly who I was and told me I can mean anything. I can do anything without limitation,” Domingo said.
When it came time to present the award, Winfrey told a touching story about how Domingo’s mother, Edith Bowles, knew “inside her soul” that his talent “deserved attention,” frequently writing to Winfrey enlisting her help. Winfrey’s tribute was an ode to the love and adoration Domingo received from his family, which he generously relays to others and through his work, as well as the love the world has developed for him in return.
Domingo embracing Winfrey after she presented him with the Montecito Award. (Lance Sanchez / Daily Nexus)
“You bring stories to light and allow us to feel and experience humanity. And all the characters that you play, you do that because of your deep humanity. And I am so proud to be here tonight being led by Edith Bowles, because I know that your mother and all the ancestors are so proud of you. And they are proud of you because they get to see the fulfillment of their wildest dreams in you,” Winfrey said.
Domingo wore his heart on his sleeve, dedicating his work to those who paved the way for him. He left the audience with his soul and the final words “I love you.”
“I’m honoring my ancestors, those that have come before, those that poured in me, those that have listened and loved on me. I want to do that for others. And I invite you, on this Valentine’s Day, to take that message into your heart and to find ways to be useful,” Domingo said.
A version of this article appeared in the Feb. 20 print edition of the Daily Nexus.
