Colman Domingo Says Lack of Rehearsal Time Allowed His Performance in ‘Sing Sing’ to Be ‘a Bit More Raw, a Bit More Edgy, and a Bit More Honest’

Harrison Richlin
·2-min read

Colman Domingo’s star has been on the rise for over a decade now with his Tony-nominated role in Kander and Ebb’s “The Scottsboro Boys” on Broadway leading to roles in Spike Lee films “Miracle at St. Anna” and “Red Hook Summer,” as well as parts in Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln” and Ava Duvernay’s “Selma.” Last year alone saw Domingo featured in four feature films and his performance in “Rustin” earned him his first Academy-Award nomination.

This weekend saw the wide release of his latest awards contender, “Sing Sing,” which sees Domingo as an inmate of the eponymous prison and participant in their Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) program. The film also features actual former members of the RTA program playing versions of themselves. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Domingo reflected on the process of making the film and how it was unlike any other experience he’d gone through as an actor, especially considering he only had a month to film “Sing Sing” between projects.

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“My history is in the theater for 30 years. I’ve worked in many different circumstances, and sometimes you may not have the luxury of a deep rehearsal period,” Domingo said. “But you can use what you can in the moment, and let it bring something different in your performance — a bit more raw, a bit more edgy, and a bit more honest. I thought this was a perfect opportunity with these men and with this film, in the way we’re building it to be as organic as possible.”

In addition to the technical and artistic elements drawing interconnection between all the players, on the business side, Domingo was also given the opportunity to participate in a new film financing model that allowed everyone involved in the production to receive equity in it.

“[The filmmakers, Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar] presented a couple of ideas once they had me attached. They could go out to studios, a standard way to go, but then they also presented this community-based model that I was intrigued,” said Domingo to THR. “The fact we are using people’s stories that they’re giving up, they can be a part of themselves,  they should have ownership. It felt very new and unique, the idea of having everyone above and below the line share equity. It felt like a perfect opportunity in this landscape knowing that this is exactly what folks were striking about: How do we feel valued? I also want to caution: Do I think it can be used on every production? I’m not exactly sure.”

“Sing Sing” can be seen in theaters now.

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