"GLADIATOR 2" STAR PAUL ZMESKAL
HOSTED WITH MUSICAL GUEST
SHABOOZEY.
>>> THIS WEEK COLMAN DOMINGO WON
THE FIRST BIG ACTING PRIZE OF
AWARDS SEASON TAKING HOME THE
GOTHAM AWARD FOR BEST THE MOVIE
"SING SING" WITH ALL SIGNS
POINTING TOWARD A SECOND
CONSECUTIVE ACADEMY AWARD
NOMINATION FOR BEST ACTOR.
THE HONOR COMES AS THE IN-DEMAND
DOMINGO, WHO MADE HIS NAME FIRST
ON THE STAGE, STARS IN THE
RIVETING SERIES "THE MADNESS"
CURRENTLY NUMBER ONE ON NETFLIX.
COLMAN AND I GOT TOGETHER IN NEW
YORK EARLIER THIS YEAR FOR A
"SUNDAY SITDOWN."
IN THE SPAN OF JUST A YEAR,
COLMAN DOMINGO HAS EARNED AN
OSCAR NOMINATION FOR BEST ACTOR.
>> TO HE RANG ME AND SAID
THERE'S MAGIC GOING ON DOWN
HERE.
YOU KNOW WHAT HE SAW.
>> AND BIG BUZZ ABOUT ANOTHER ON
THE WAY FOR HIS PERFORMANCE IN
THIS YEAR'S "SING SING."
>> SOMETIMES IT'S JUST ALL A
LITTLE TOO MUCH.
>> AFTER MORE THAN THREE DECADES
OF WORK, THE 55-YEAR-OLD
INTRODUCING HIMSELF TO THE WORLD
EMPHATICALLY.
>> HI.
>> I'M WILLIE.
SUCH A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU.
DOMINGO WAS NOMINATED FOR THAT
ACADEMY AWARD PLAYING REAL-LIFE
ACTIVIST RUSTIN WHO ORGANIZED
THE 1963 MARCH ON WASHINGTON
WHERE MARTIN LOOUT UTHER KING J
DELIVERED THE I HAVE A DREAM
SPEECH WITH RUSTIN JUST OVER HIS
SHOULDER.
>> BLACK, WHITE, YOUNG, OLD,
RICH, WORKING CLASS, POOR --
WE'LL DESCEND ON WASHINGTON,
D.C.
>> A PERFORMANCE THAT VAULTED
THE VETERAN ACTOR INTO THE
COMPANY OF HOLLYWOOD'S BIGGEST
STARS.
SO WHEN THE IDEA FOR THE FILM
CAME TO YOU, WHAT DID YOU THINK
ABOUT THE CHARACTER?
>> WELL, FOR YEARS, EVERY SO
OFTEN SOMEONE WILL SAY, HEY.
WHEN THERE'S A BIOPIC ABOUT
RUSTIN IT HAS TO BE ABOUT YOU.
I KNEW WHO BYRON RUSTIN WAS AND
I'M TELLING PEOPLE, OH, IT FEELS
LIKE SUCH AN IDIOT THAT I DIDN'T
KNOW ANYTHING.
IT'S ALL GOOD.
NO ONE KNEW ABOUT HIM.
>> HE WAS ALMOST LOST TO HISTORY
UNTIL YOU AND THE TEAM BEHIND
THIS MOVIE CAME ALONG AND PUT
HIM ON THE MAP.
IT HAS TO FEEL AMAZING.
>> THE WAY WE'VE DONE IT AS
WELL.
SO MANY PEOPLE PUT LOVING,
GENTLE HANDS AROUND THIS, BUT
THE FILM IS VERY PERSONAL.
I LIKE THE FACT IT FEELS SMALL.
IT'S JUST THE INTIMATE CHARACTER
STUDY.
WHEN WE TELL OURSELVES SUCH
LIES, LIVE AND BELIEVE SUCH
LIES, WE DO THE WORK OF OUR
OPPRESSORS.
WHAT I LOVE AND WE WERE TRYING
TO SHOW WITH THE FILM "RUSTIN"
WAS ALL THE PLEXTIST OF THE
HUMAN BEING, THAT HE WAS JOYFUL,
SPIRITED, HE LOVED TO SING, TO
DANCE.
HE LOVED TO HAVE COCKTAILS.
ONCE I KNEW HE WAS OPENLY GAY, I
WAS ALWAYS AN OPENLY GAY MAN IN
THIS INDUSTRY FROM THE VERY
BEGINNING AND I TRUST THE
UNIVERSE SEES ME AS I SEE
MYSELF, WITHOUT LIMITATION, AND
THAT'S SOMETHING BAYARD DID.
>> HOW CRITICAL HE WAS TO THE
CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.
>> PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA TOLD
ME BACKSTAGE IN D.C. -- THAT'S A
NAME DROP.
>> BARACK OBAMA.
KEEP GOING.
>> HE TOLD ME THIS BACKSTAGE IN
D.C., YOU KNOW, COLMAN, THERE
WOULD BE NO BARACK OBAMA IF
THERE WAS NO BAYARD RUSTIN.
>> HE GREW UP IN WEST
PHILADELPHIA, THE THIRD OF FOUR
CHILDREN.
HIS STEPFATHER SANDED FLOORS.
HIS MOTHER CLEANED HOUSES AND
LATER WORKED AT A BANK.
>> I WAS VERY SHY, VERY BOOKISH.
I WAS NOT COOL.
I COME FROM SUCH LOVE.
EVERYTHING ABOUT ME IS BECAUSE
OF THE LOVE THAT I WAS GIVEN,
AND I WAS KISSED ON AND ADORED
AND TOLD THAT I WAS SPECIAL.
>> DOMINGO DROPPED OUT OF
PHILLY'S TEMPLE UNIVERSITY TO
PURSUE ACTING WORKING FOR YEARS
IN COMMUNITY THEATER AS AN
ACTOR, PRODUCER, AND PLAYWRIGHT.
ONE PIVOTAL AUDITION FOR AN
OFF-BROADWAY SHOW AT NEW YORK'S
FAMED PUBLIC THEATER SENT HIM ON
HIS WAY.
>> THE AUDITION FOR "PASSING
STRANGE" WAS ON JUNE 24, 2006.
I CAME IN HERE AND AUDITIONED,
HAD THE TIME OF MY LIFE, IT WAS
GREAT.
AND THEN I LOST MY MOTHER ON
JUNE 25th.
AND THE PEOPLE AT THE PUBLIC
THEATER, THEY WAITED FOR ME FOR
TWO WEEKS TO COME BACK IN AND I
SANG A GOSPEL SONG CALLED "HE'S
ABLE."
HE'S ABLE TO CARRY YOU THROUGH.
IT WAS ALL NEW AND RAW.
AND I SING THE SONG AND I FELT
SO VULNERABLE, AND EVERYONE IN
THE ROOM WAS SORT OF WATCHING.
AND THEN I DID THE SCENE AND
THEN I FELT LIKE I HAD TO LEAVE
QUICKLY.
I LEFT, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
WENT TO THE SIDE OF THE PUBLIC
THEATER AND ED BAWLING
BECAUSE I THOUGHT I MESSED IT
UP.
I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I WAS DOING.
I WAS JUST RAW -- RAW ENERGY.
>> BUT DOMINGO LANDED THE ROLE.
A FILM DIRECTED BY SPIKE LEE.
>> WE'RE ALL FREAKS DEPENDING ON
THE BACKDROP, YOU KNOW.
AFTER "PASSING STRANGE" CLOSED
ON BROADWAY AND SPIKE LEE CLOSED
IT, I WENT BACK TO MY BARTENDING
JOB.
THERE WAS A MOMENT I WAS GOING
TO STOP BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT
DIDN'T MAKE SENSE ANYMORE.
>> AFTER A RUN OF SUPPORTING
PARTS, DOMINGO WAS READY TO WALK
AWAY, BUT HIS CAREER WAS
RESURRECTED BY THE UNDEAD.
>> YOU CAN DO THIS.
YOU'RE A FIGHTER.
>> HE STARRED ON "FEAR THE
WALKING DEAD" AND, MORE
RECENTLY, EARNED AN EMMY AWARD
PLAYING ALONGSIDE ZENDAYA ON THE
HBO PHENOMENON "EUPHORIA."
>> AND IT ISN'T A QUESTION OF
WILLPOWER.
IT'S NOT HOW STRONG YOU ARE.
>> FOR COLMAN DOMINGO THE ROAD
TO HOLLYWOOD'S MOUNTAIN TOP HAS
BEEN LONG BUT WELL WORTH THE
RIDE.
WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE FOR YOU
TO BE SITTING IN THIS MOMENT
GIVEN HOW HARD YOU'VE WORKED TO
FINALLY HAVE THAT SPOTLIGHT ON
YOU?
>> I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THIS COULD
HAPPEN FOR ME.
I ACTUALLY DIDN'T KNOW.
I JUST WANT TO DO GOOD WORK AND
THEN SUDDENLY I'M IN THIS SPACE
WHERE ALL OF THE LIGHTS ARE
BRIGHTLY SHINING ON ME.
IT SORT OF TAKES MY BREATH AWAY
WHEN I THINK ABOUT IT.
I DIDN'T KNOW I COULD DREAM THIS
BIG.
IT'S ALMOST TOO MUCH.
BECAUSE IT FEELS SO INCREDIBLE
IN A WAY THAT I NEVER IMAGINED.
IT'S SO OVERWHELMING, ALL OF
THIS LOVE.
THAT'S WHAT THE OVERWHELMING
THING IS.
AND I THINK MAYBE THAT'S --
THAT'S, HOPEFULLY, THE GOODWILL
I'VE BEEN CONSCIOUS OF THAT MY
MOTHER WANTED ME TO DO IN BEING
SERVICE TO OTHER PEOPLE AND
ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO
RUSTIN, THIS UNSUNG HERO,
SOMEONE HIDDEN IN THE SHADOWS OF
HISTORY AND I GAVE EVERYTHING I
POSSIBLY COULD, ALL THE YEARS
AND REGIONAL THEATER, OFF
BROADWAY, CRYING ON THE SIDE OF
THE PUBLIC THEATER.
ALL OF IT WENT INTO THIS WORK.
>> WHAT WOULD YOU SAY PEOPLE IN
COMMUNITY THEATER --
>> STAY DEDICATED TO THE WORK,
AND THEN, IF YOU'RE LIKE ME, 33
YEARS LATER, THE SUN IS SHINING
ON YOU.
>> AN OVERNIGHT SUCCESS 33 YEARS
IN THE MAKING.
>> I'M A 33-YEAR-OLD OVERNIGHT
SUCCESS.
THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE.
>> A GREAT GUY ENJOYING HIS
HARD-EARNED MOMENT.
COLEMAN'S MOVIE "SING SING" WILL
BE RE-RELEASED IN THEATERS NEXT
MONTH AS OSCAR TALK BUILDS AROU
HIM.
DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE
"SUNDAY SITDOWN" PODCAST TO HEAR
THE FULL EXTE