Paul Rudd experienced a poor run at the box office this year with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Particularly, Ant-Man’s encounter with Kang the Conqueror, a ruthless multiversal villain, was criticized for being handled carelessly. If given another opportunity to confront the multiversal villain, Rudd might find himself facing someone much more familiar. The connection between Rudd and Marvel’s rumored new Kang actor Colman Domingo traces back to a kiss.
Domingo recently revealed that his first on-screen kiss was with the Ant-Man actor. They had previously worked together on the Christmas film, All is Bright, in 2013. Rudd played a retired thief Rene, and Domingo played Nzomo, an African man helping him with his new tree-selling business.
Paul Rudd Was Colman Domingo’s First On-Screen Kiss
Colman Domingo had a remarkable 2023, featuring in not just one but two critically acclaimed films. Domingo played the abusive husband Albert “Mister” Johnson in The Color Purple. Additionally, his role as Civil Rights Activist Bayard Rustin in Netflix’s Rustin earned him a Golden Globe nomination. With these exceptional performances, Domingo was featured in W Magazine’s 2023 Best Performances issue.
During a candid chat with Lynn Hirschberg of W, the Zola actor shared details about his first on-screen kiss. It took place on the set of All Is Bright, where he starred alongside Paul Rudd and Paul Giamatti. Domingo shared that Rudd had adept improvisation skills. In one of his prompt improvisations, the Clueless actor surprised Domingo by kissing him on the lips.
The Fear the Walking Dead actor found Rudd’s gesture very sweet and told him that it was his first on-screen kiss. Domingo shared with W Magazine:
“This is a little-known Christmas movie we did maybe 10, 12 years ago. I played this guy named Nzomo, who’s a South African dude who works at a tree stand. Paul Rudd is a great improviser. In one scene, he turned me around and kissed me on the lips. It was very sweet, because he was excited about something. I thought, ‘Hey, actually, that’s my first screen kiss. Did you know that, Paul?’”
However, Colman Domingo’s sweet kiss did not make it to the final cut of the film. Domingo, who won an Emmy for a guest role in Euphoria, is currently positioned as a frontrunner for the upcoming Oscars. Domingo may come face-to-face with Paul Rudd again if he is offered the role of Kang in the MCU.
Colman Domingo Is The Rumored Kang Replacement In The MCU
The Selma actor made headlines when insider Daniel Richtman reported that Marvel is eyeing him as the potential replacement for Jonathan Majors. Fans rallied behind this potential casting and they began interesting discussions online that caught Domingo’s attention. During an interview with Entertainment Tonight, he shared that he was aware of the “talk and conversations” but clarified that he had not been approached for the role.
He shared that he was happy to see the fans celebrating his potential casting and speaking about him “lovingly” and “kindly”. The Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom actor shared with ET:
“I don’t know, I’m always looking at what I have to do right now… I know there’s talk and conversations around, and I don’t know how much is true. I don’t even get that from my team, I can’t tell if it’s true or not. The fans are passionate. Somehow my name is out there in the world [and] I like the idea of just having your name called and someone speaking lovingly and kindly about something is a beautiful thing.”
Marvel has yet to unveil the direction they will take following Jonathan Major’s exit. Paul Rudd and Colman Domingo may come together for the planned Avengers 5 film in 2026.
