Rustin: After Walking Dead and Euphoria, Colman Domingo on his way to the Oscars

The Fear star actor finally lands a big movie role, in the Netflix biopic. Has his hour of glory arrived?

Maybe it’s finally his time. Rustin arrives today on Netflix, to tell us the true story of the activist Bayard Rustindetermined to shake up conservative, racist and homophobic America, by organizing the march on Washington (which took place in 1963) for civil rights, the one where Martin Luther King made his “I have a dream” speech…

The biopic is praised by the press, particularly for the performance of Colman Domingoamazing in the skin of Bayard Rustin. Finally a big role for the 53-year-old actor. This Rustin has everything of the film of consecration for the star from Belize and Guatemala, best known since his arrival on the small screen, by the box Waking Dead. For a decade, he has been the elusive Victor Strand in Fear, hero and villain of the apocalypse. A revelation for this Broadway icon, not necessarily intended for the zombific genre.

“In my opinion, Fear The Walking Dead was a riske”, confided moreover Colman Domingo at Première, in 2018. “I was offered to do Baz Luhrmann’s series, The Get Down on Netflix, at the same time. It would have been the most logical choice for me, given my background on Broadway. But when it came to choosing, I preferred to go towards Fear, because it scared me. Now in my career, people already know what I can do. So I wanted to surprise, and put myself in danger. This is my philosophy of life, I like to dare new things.”

In parallel with TWD, Colman Domingo try the adventure Euphoria facing Zendaya. Again, an ambitious and daring role. He plays Ali, a former drug addict on the road to redemption, Rue’s sponsor. A character that he will work like crazy, between 30 and 50 hours for each episode! “I come from the theater so I’m used to working on my roles a lot” he confided to Vulture recently. A devotion which will earn him an Emmy Award for Best Guest Actor in 2022.

Not the first major award received by Colman Domingoin his career, he who had been rewarded at the Tony Awards in 2011 for The Scottsboro Boysfresh off her first major performance in the acclaimed musical, Passing Strange (in 2008).

Broadway retains a crucial place in the heart of the actor turned producer, even if he no longer has much time to go on stage, very busy with Fear The Walking Dead, Euphoria…and cinema.

Because it’s been a few years since Colman Domingo is trying to explode on the big screen. We were able to meet him opposite Regina King in If Beale Street Could Talk. We saw it in Candyman opposite Yahya Abdul-Mateen II or on Netflix (already) in Ma Rainey, facing Chadwick Boseman. But each time, he had to settle for supporting roles. Rustin will therefore undeniably mark a turning point in his career. A remarkable performance, which could even lead him to the Oscars!

Because Colman Domingo was crowned this fall with the TIFF Tribute Award for best performance at the Toronto International Film Festival. A prestigious distinction and often a precursor to the Academy Awards. Brendan Fraser (The Whale), Anthony Hopkins (The Father) or Joaquin Phoenix (Joker) were crowned there before him in recent years, before being crowned at the Oscars. But more than glory, Colman Domingo think of people first “who knew and loved Bayard Rustin, and who are still in this world… With this role, I wanted to do justice to Rustin on their behalf. Beyond critical praise, it is their opinion that matters to me more than anything ” replies the actor to Le Devoir.

Nevertheless, the year 2024 could well be that of the coronation of Colman Domingo. At the Oscars and perhaps also at the Emmys, since it occupies a crucial place in the final season of Fear the Walking Deadcurrently in progress : “I wish he never died”, he told us when talking about the end of the series. “Or maybe Victor leaves in a burst of laughter. And on his tombstone, we could read: “He loved scotch. He loved to laugh. He loved to fight.”