Oscar Hopeful Colman Domingo Nearly Left Acting After Losing Out on a Role He Thought Would Be His 'Big Break'

Domingo admits that, after earning his first Tony nomination back in 2011, he was devastated not to book a small part in 'Boardwalk Empire' — years later, he's won an Emmy and scored a Golden Globe nod

Colman Domingo's rise to stardom has included an Emmy win and multiple Tony Award nominations. And now he's in the Oscar conversation for his turn in the historical biopic Rustin. Despite these recent successes, though, the actor has seen his fair share of setbacks during his career.

Domingo recalled 2014 as an especially trying year — he'd was back on the audition circuit in New York City despite a Tony-nominated run in the Broadway musical The Scottsboro Boys that took him to London.

He was particularly excited about a role in the Martin Scorsese-produced HBO drama Boardwalk Empire.

At the time, Domingo thought the small part as a maître d' at a Black-owned nightclub was "the one that's going to finally be my big break," he told The New York Times in a recent profile. After a strong audition, the actor's agent told him that a historical researcher on the HBO series informed producers that maître d's employed in nightclubs at the time were usually light-skinned. Domingo did not get the part.

"That's when I lost my mind," he recalled, sharing that he was in the middle of a Manhattan Equinox gym when he got the news and couldn't stop himself from screaming and sliding to the floor.

He said he told his agent: "I can't take it anymore. I think this is going to kill me."

Related: 'Euphoria' Star Colman Domingo Says His Emmy Win Shows There Are 'No Limits'

Though that experience nearly prompted Domingo to abandon his acting career entirely, he persevered and learned an important lesson about the business.

"I've had many moments where I just needed that little shine or that little push or that extra scene that I know we shot, but decisions were made," he told NYT. "It happens. You can shoot a film and do some of the best work of your career, and they leave out three incredible scenes, and you’re like, 'That could have made me. That could have changed everything.'"

After winning his first Emmy last year for an impactful guest role in HBO's Euphoria, Domingo is now in the midst of a career high.

He was tapped by Barack and Michelle Obama's Higher Ground production company to channel Civil Rights her Bayard Rustin in Netflix's Rustin. At the same time, the actor is showing his range as a villainous husband in the critically acclaimed film adaptation of the Broadway musical iteration of The Color Purple, which recently earned the second-biggest Christmas Day opening of all time.

Related: Colman Domingo Is Civil Rights Activist Bayard Rustin in Netflix's Powerful Rustin Trailer

Of the position he's currently in, Domingo noted, "I don't want to miss this moment. All the films, all the lights, all the accolades, all the beautiful critical responses — I want to bathe in all of that right now."

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Rustin can be streamed on Netflix, and The Color Purple is currently out in movie theaters.

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