American actor, writer, and director Colman Domingo is perhaps best known to mainstream audiences for his breakthrough role playing Victor Strand in the AMC series Fear the Walking Dead. However, he has far more strings to his bow than that.
Rather intriguingly, Domingo has recently been cast as Michael Jackson’s controversial father, Joseph Jackson, in the upcoming MJ biopic, but he’s been in several great films before that.
If you’re excited about the biopic and wish to learn more about its exciting cast, these are five Colman Domingo movies to watch beforehand.
If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)
If Beale Street Could Talk is a romantic drama movie based on James Baldwin’s 1974 novel. The plot concerns a young New York woman who, along with her supportive family, attempts to prove her lover’s innocence and clear his name after he’s wrongly accused of rape. KiKi Layne plays the young woman, Clementine “Tish” Rivers and Stephan James plays Alonzo “Fonny” Hunt, the innocent man.
Colman Domingo adeptly plays Joseph Rivers, Tish’s supportive father, performing effortlessly with a smile and an evident passion for the subject matter. Nominated for three Academy Awards (with Regina King winning Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Sharon Rivers, Tish’s mother), If Beale Street Could Talk is a visually stunning, energetic, and beautifully crafted movie faithful to its terrific source material.
Streaming on Amazon Prime.
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020)
Set in 1920s Chicago and inspired by the career of Ma Rainey, a highly influential American blues singer who died in 1939 from a heart attack, Netflix’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is based on August Wilson’s 1982 play of the same name. It stars Viola Davis as Ma Rainey and the late Chadwick Boseman as Levee Green, an overconfident Georgia band trumpeter, both of whom received deserved Oscar nominations for Best Actress and Actor, respectively (the movie received five nominations, winning two for Best Costume Design and Best Makeup and Hairstyling).
Colman Domingo plays Cutler, another band member who offers fatherly support to the leading characters. At the end of the movie, when he relays some of the horrors he’s witnessed in his life, viewers feel like they experienced them with him. He’s superb. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom boasts powerhouse performances, terrific writing, and a darkness that will stay with anyone watching it for some time.
Streaming on Netflix.
Zola (2020)
The black comedy crime movie Zola is, somewhat novelly, based on a 2015 Twitter thread that went viral after being posted by Aziah “Zola” King and David Kushner’s subsequent Rolling Stone article “Zola Tells All: The Real Story Behind the Greatest Stripper Saga Ever Tweeted.” It tells the story of a part-time stripper whose new friend and fellow adult performer convinces her to accompany her on a road trip to Tampa, Florida, to earn big money. However, it all goes wrong. It stars Taylour Paige, Riley Keough, and Nicholas Braun, all in top form.
Colman Domingo plays Abegunde “X” Olawale, the pimp of Keough’s Stefani, and he finds the balance between comedy and drama immaculately. Zola encapsulates the surreal, weirder-than-fiction feel of the Twitter thread and the story therein. It’s undoubtedly zany but funny, endearing, and a masterclass in filmmaking. Its portrayal of female sex industry workers is eye-opening.
Streaming on Amazon Prime.
Candyman (2021)
The fourth installment in the eponymous franchise, supernatural slasher horror Candyman, is a direct sequel to 1992’s identically-named movie. This one returns audiences to the now-gentrified Chicago neighborhood that started the Candyman saga and terrifyingly deepens the franchise’s mythology. Tony Todd capably reprises his iconic role as the titular character and is joined by an exceptionally talented cast, including Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett.
Colman Domingo plays William “Billy” Burke, a Cabrini–Green housing project resident who informs Abdul-Mateen II’s Candyman-obsessed Anthony McCoy about the eponymous legend. He adds integral suspense to the film and progresses the narrative with his expertly delivered dialogue. Candyman is aesthetically gorgeous and surprisingly complex, boasting ample tension and scares. It’s a more than worthy addition to a massively underrated horror franchise.
Streaming on Amazon Prime.
Rustin (2023)
Biographical drama Rustin chronicles the life of Bayard Rustin, a leader in the social movements for civil rights, gay rights, socialism, and non-violence. Produced for Netflix by Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company Higher Ground, the film chronicles the racism and homophobia faced by Rustin in his efforts to alter the history of civil rights by organizing 1963’s March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
Colman Domingo portrays Rustin in the eponymous role, and his sensational, complex, charming, warm, vibrant, and incredibly sympathetic performance has earned him a nomination for the Best Actor Oscar at the upcoming 96th Academy Awards – and he’s undoubtedly in with a shout of winning. It’s clear from his performance the film’s content is a subject close to his heart. With an esteemed supporting cast that includes Chris Rock, Jeffrey Wright, and Audra McDonald, Rustin is a rousing, intelligent, superbly crafted movie that everyone should watch.
Streaming on Netflix.
