And hes had the thrill of discussing diplomatic matters with former President Obama.
But theres more to it than that.
Domingos using the opportunity to allow what he wears to be viewed as a form of performative art.
Colman Domingo, left, and as Bayard Rustin in ‘Rustin’Getty/Lukasz Bielan
And this awards season hes perfected his look with aplomb.
Its impossible to forget that Domingo stopped red carpet traffic bedecked in Valentino.
Listen, Im having the time of my life, he tells me.
Colman Domingo at the Critics Choice Awards in January (Amy Sussman/WireImage)Amy Sussman/WireImage
Ive always been this way when it comes to telling my story.
How do you tell your story when sometimes all they have is an image?
And Im very conscious of that.
I feel like I want to let people know that Im having a great time.
Its about being in the room, he says, emphasizing the point with a theatrical flourish.
How do we show up?
I want to inspire other people to show up and have a good time, he says.
Whether I take the stage and accept an award or not, its pointless, actually.
But I want you to know I was here and I had a good time.
Thats enough about me!
He laughs and says, But we know who won the red carpet, dont we?!
He adds: I can tell a story with every outfit that I wore.
Its all very conscious, every single one.
Stepping into my full self, my full being as an artist in a way on this platform.
It was like, yeah, I wanted to wear things that are very regal, very tailored.
Theres a serious point here, though.
I know how Im being possibly perceived, he adds.
Theres a lot of eyes on me.
Im like, I got a lot of communities who are saying, Hey, you represent us.
So Ive got to show up and show out.
He says they really collaborate and they also help challenge me a little bit.
Theyre also conscious of every room he enters and the story theyre telling in it.
Im in awe of Domingos work ethic.
And dont forgetthe movieIts Whats Inside, which his husband Raul Domingo produced and he executive produced.
Itsold to Netflix recently for $17 million at Sundance, he tells me gleefully.
Hes visually moved because Raul is president and producer of their Edith Productions company.
Hes got such a sweet, mellow energy, Domingo says of his beloved partner.
Yet, hes also training to be a pilot, he says admiringly.
And hes learning Japanese!
So hes very much like me in a way.
We really know how to balance each other out and complement each other in a great way.
And then hes just a kind, gentle soul.
What people see is actually the truth.
Thats him all the time.
I love to cook a meal, making dinner, putting a fire in the fireplace.
I really have some easy time.
People never believe that.
Theyre like, What are you doing tonight?
Im like, Oh, Im just on the couch.
They cant even imagine that Im doing that.
I really have military precision, he counters.
It has be military precision because I actually organize my rest time as well.
So I check that that happens an hour before I have to do anything.
Ill eat my meal, and then Ill go down for a nice nap.
How did he acquire such organizational skills?
I think some people are just born like that, he says.
I feel like I have one of those brains that can do it.
I can hold a lot.
I didnt learn this from my parents.
My parents,they would just have one job and they would come home.
They werent multi-taskers like that, but I think Ive always always had a lot of energy.
And I was able to focus it.
I think when Im doing three to four things at once, I can focus even stronger.
And the fact that both men possess great organizational skills is a bonus.
I figured Domingo must have returned home in triumph because we really embraced him and his castmates over here.
He shakes his head and corrects my assumption.
I had such a great time here.
I thought, This doesnt make sense for my soul.
These were really nothing.
I couldnt get into the door to get other more complex, beautiful roles.
And now Im in my mid-40s ,I thought, I cant start over.
I cant do this anymore, he says speaking candidly as I refill his water glass.
I really was going to leave the business.
He returned home to Raul after what he calls a devastating week of not getting anything.
I talked to Raul, I said, My heart was so broken.
I said, Would you be OK if I did something else?’
knowing it was a decision concerning them both.
He was making $300-$400 a session, and I would do two or three a day.
He changed his representation, and the first thing he landed wasFear the Walking Dead.
And it changed my life, giving him a new footing in the industry.
Domingo directed three episodes and was one of the producers of the final season.
You know me, Baz.
Im going to take everything off the bone because I have to.
He stressed that the two works are not the same, saying, Theyre cousins to the framework.
Because I think, as we know, its a choice.
Do you take the high road?
Its always a choice, he says.
And how youre perceived, I quietly venture.
And how Im perceived, he readily agrees.
But more than that, I think its more like how I want people to feel.
My husband says, You could run for president if you wanted to.
He always says that because you have a diplomacy about you.'
Lets not go there, he warns.
Taking no heed of that, I say, Lets go down that road, baby.
On having a great sense of diplomacy, I dont disagree with him, he says.
I disagree with him that Im going to run for president because I dont want that responsibility.
But I do know that I have a great sense of diplomacy and a sense of integrity.
Its always a work in progress, trying to get better.
Im very conscious of that.
So that is a choice.
Former President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are executive producers ofRustin.
Bayard was the most fascinating thinker and organizer, being able to bring coalitions and unions all together.
Rubasingham now is artistic chief designate of the National Theatre.
Smiling, he says proudly that Rubasingham has the biggest stage in the country.
Somebody make it happen, like.
And theres Halder over at the Donmar.
Ao maybe I can play with him as well, Domingo says, his eyes lit up.
And these are just mates of mine that were creating on smaller stages.
And now everyone has evolved in many ways, he adds.
And its a journey of an artist.
