Colman Domingo says Boardwalk Empire rejected his audition because he wasn’t light-skinned

An Emmy-award-winning actor has claimed he lost a role in a hit drama because his skin wasn’t light enough.

Colman Domingo says Boardwalk Empire rejected his audition because of his skin colour. Picture: Lia Toby/Getty Images

Colman Domingo won an Emmy for his role in Euphoria in 2022. He was recently nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in Rustin. And his latest movie, The Color Purple, just hit cinemas in the US earlier this week.

However, the actor’s path to success wasn’t always an easy one, reports Decider.

While speaking to the New York Times, Domingo recalled a point in his career where he was stuck auditioning for “under-fives,” which are screen roles with just a couple of lines that he took in hopes of getting his big break.

Things appeared to take a promising turn nearly a decade ago when he landed an audition for the HBO drama series Boardwalk Empire, which was looking for someone to play the maître d’ at a Black-owned nightclub.

Domingo said he wore a tuxedo, sang and tap-danced for the producers, who were initially blown away by his performance.

Colman Domingo says he was rejected during Broadwalk Empire auditions because he wasn’t light-skinned. Picture: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for ELLE

The actor sadly thought the audition would be his big break. Picture: Lia Toby/Getty Images

Later on, while Domingo was at the gym, his agent called, telling him that everyone at the show had “loved” his audition.

He thought to himself, “This is the one that’s going to change it up for me. This is the one that’s going to finally be my big break.”

However, they decided to go in a different direction after a historical researcher on the show reminded producers that the maître d’s in such nightclubs were typically light-skinned — unlike Domingo.

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The actor (far right) at The Color Purple LA premiere with Scott Sanders, Blitz Bazawule, Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey on December 6. Picture: Leon Bennett/Getty Images

“That’s when I lost my mind,” he said, describing how he screamed and fell to the floor while other gym-goers stared on.

He told his agent, “I can’t take it anymore, I think this is going to kill me.” When he got home later that day, he was ready to give up on acting forever.

Now, after nearly 10 years — plus an Emmy win and a Golden Globe nomination — Domingo has become an “offer-only” actor, meaning he no longer auditions for roles.

Domingo, who won an Emmy for his role in Euphoria, currently stars in Rustin, which is streaming on Netflix. Picture: Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images

“I became an actor that was ‘offer-only’ probably sooner than the industry thought I should have,” he said. “But I decided I have a body of work. You can go and look at it, you can ask other directors about me, and you can make me the offer or not.”

In the meantime, Domingo is continuing to soak up the success of his work.

“I don’t want to miss this moment,” he said. “All the films, all the lights, all the accolades, all the beautiful critical responses — I want to bathe in all of that right now.”

You can currently watch Domingo in Rustin, which is streaming on Netflix, and soon in The Color Purple, which premieres in Australian theatres next month.

This article originally appeared in Decider and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Colman Domingo says Boardwalk Empire rejected his audition because he wasn’t light-skinned