Colman Domingo is marking small milestones in Hollywood. No big headlines, no big fuss. Last year he became the first actor queer to be nominated in 21 years (the previous one was Ian McKellen for Gods and monsters in 2001). He was the first black man to achieve it. This year he is on track to get his second consecutive nomination. He does it by betting on other types of roles. He is not a typical star, although he has the demeanor of a gallant, and a style that has made him a stylistic reference. But then, when push comes to shove, he chooses those roles on the margins, the ones that many would reject as small.
This is what has happened with The Lives of Sing Sing ―already in movie theaters―, where he is not only the absolute protagonist, but also a producer and one of the promoters of the project since its inception. That has also been transferred to the forms. All cast members have been paid the same, creating a fairer model that aims to break down Hollywood’s hierarchical structures. It makes sense that it would be with a film like this, a prison drama about a prison arts program that mixes fiction and reality, since many of the inmates play themselves. A film that talks about reintegration into a system where punishment is committed; and the power of art to change lives.
For all these reasons, Colman Domingo considers this film one of the most important of his life. “I was part of it from the beginning. The director and writers wrote to me with some ideas, but there wasn’t even a draft to present to me. Just a magazine article esquire about that rehabilitation program through art that was carried out in Sing Sing prison. We talked about what is important to me as an artist, and other themes like brotherhood and humanity started to emerge,” he says of the beginning of the project.
There they already realized that the film’s intention was clear: “Break clichés and deconstruct what people may think and know about these human beings who are in a prison complex.” Thus he gave himself completely and gave them “every bit” of his being. He also ended up joining as a producer and they began to shape a film that he believes “should appeal to each of our prejudices” regarding the subject.
“People believe that because they have seen an inmate they know what those people are like. They think they deserve the way they are treated, and that, in some way, is taking away their humanity, what makes them human beings. I think this movie is very clever because when you think you believe what is going to happen, it never happens. It’s a film that operates on you while it operates on itself, so in a way we are all doing the rehabilitation together, breaking the clichés. For me these people [los presos que actúan en la película] “They have become my comrades and my companions, and we have done something beautiful together,” he adds.
For this reason, he defines the film as a song in defense of reintegration. “Let’s think about ourselves as a society. People who have committed a negative act deserve a path to that rehabilitation, and not only for themselves, but also for us. I think we should do something together and try to achieve it. It is a bigger problem than it seems, it is an institutional problem. The goal of this film is to humanize these people and raise questions about how we can improve as a society. Because it’s not just about the person who is in jail, it’s also about their families and all of us. And it is also important to talk about the benefit that these institutions have. I hope people can take all this in. We wanted to show that we are more similar to them than different, and that we need more tools to give this world a better direction,” he says.
People believe that because they have seen a prisoner they know what those people are like. They think they deserve how they are treated, and that, in some way, is taking away their humanity.
Colman Domingo
— Actor
For these prisoners it was theater that changed their lives, and for Colman Domingo, the statement that art heals “is the truest statement that exists.” “I know that art has the power to heal and transform. I would dare to say that theater has saved my life. Not only do you build a community, it gives you a voice when until then you had felt that you were silenced, it gives you a purpose… theater can generate real changes in lives. I have been a part of some of the most profound works of art that exist and I know that they truly move the pendulum of humanity. So I believe with all my heart in that statement that art has the power to transform people’s lives,” he says.
Although he was not familiar with the Sing Sing prison arts program, Colman Domingo did know of the existence of other theater programs in US prisons. He believes that theater is perfect for rehabilitation, since “it demands respect and openness, it requires rigor and questioning about the human condition, and that is very useful for authentic rehabilitation.” “That helps inmates prepare to find tools to contribute to society when they get out. Tools they didn’t have when they entered. “That is extraordinary.”
He doesn’t like it when his colleagues are called non-professional actors, and he says this from his 30-year background as an actor. He says this because he has witnessed how they have worked at the same level as any actor who is labeled professional: “Their work, although until now it was not professional, has required the same rigor, the same professional ethics and the same skills.” to build community. We simply looked into each other’s eyes. We were all actors who wanted to reach a goal and were curious about how we would achieve it. And we did it with deep generosity and happiness for the work we were doing.”
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