Why Colman Domingo Nearly Quit Acting After Auditioning For The Boardwalk Empire

In 2023 alone, Colman Domingo played lead characters in "Rustin" and "Sing Sing" while lending his vocal talents to "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts" and "Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken." He even played Batman in an original Spotify podcast series and was a part of the all-star cast of "The Color Purple." That said, Domingo's success wasn't always a sure thing. A New York Times profile about his Hollywood ascent revealed that he almost quit acting after an audition for the HBO drama "Boardwalk Empire" went awry.

In 2014, Domingo had established himself as a talent worth watching after earning a Tony nomination for his part in a London-based production of "The Scottsboro Boys." Nevertheless, his transition back to screen acting proved difficult — his only auditions were for so-called "under-fives," which refer to roles with less than five lines of dialog. Then, he got called in to try out for the part of a maître d' in "Boardwalk Empire." It required him to show up in a tuxedo and demonstrate that he could tap dance.

Initially, he heard that the producers were impressed. However, a researcher for the show determined that the Black maître d's at the real-life clubs the show used as inspiration had lighter skin than Domingo. They decided this meant he was disqualified from the role. "That's when I lost my mind," the actor said, recounting how he determined he'd quit acting after going through this experience.

"All the films, all the lights, all the accolades, all the beautiful critical responses — I want to bathe in all of that right now," Colman Domingo told the New York Times.

Knowing that he hit such a clearly defined rock bottom after hearing back about his "Boardwalk Empire" audition, it's hardly surprising that Domingo is now openly grateful for the success he's since found. The accolades he mentioned include an Emmy award for his work on "Euphoria" Season 2 and a Golden Globe nomination for "Rustin."

Domingo also described the moment he wanted to quit acting in an interview with NPR. What got him back into the business was finding new representation. He explained that fellow actor Daniel Breaker encouraged him to meet with a new agent, even when he insisted on leaving acting behind. That new agent was the one who helped Domingo land "Fear The Walking Dead," which kickstarted a career renaissance.

"Now that I'm here, it feels so beautiful. But also, I know that it's so earned," he said. "Now I feel very peaceful, actually. I feel that I'm being seen the way that I see myself."