Original subtitles

It's coming in. Yeah.

Yeah, okay.

It's starting to smack me in the face.

Just a little bit.

Hey, what's going on, everybody? For

First We Feast, I'm Sean Evans, and you're watching Hot Ones. It's the show

hot questions and even hotter wings.

And today we're joined by Coleman Domingo.

He's an actor, playwright, and director coming off back -to -back Academy Award

nominations for Best Actor and into an incredibly busy year from the final

season of Euphoria, which premieres on HBO April 12th, to the return of the

seasons on Netflix later this spring, to the Spielberg -directed sci -fi film

Disclosure Day in theaters June 12th, and finally, he plays the Jackson family

patriarch in the long -awaited biopic Michael, which is set to hit theaters on

April 24th. Coleman Domingo, welcome to the show.

Wow, that was good, man.

I sound really busy.

Well, you are very busy. Thanks for taking the time. I know that you're

What's going through your head as you prepare to take on the Hot Ones

I know that you do have a particular fondness for condiments. I love

like, dearly. Like, I'd marry condiments if I wasn't married already.

My whole side of fridge is filled with condiments. And I'm not, I think I'm

feeling a little bit more confident than I was maybe an hour ago.

I was really nervous. I don't know why.

It's already on the, oh, on this one.

Oh, good. Okay, garlic delight.

Mmm, that's nice.

That's good. It's a delight in my mouth.

So the music in this film spans some of the most joyful recordings ever made,

from ABC to Billie Jean to Thriller. Was there a performance sequence that was

most mind -blowing to watch on set as a spectator?

Oh, man, there was. I would say when he does the Motown 25 performance, the

first time you see the moonwalk, Jafar is a revelation.

I mean, you've never seen anything like it. I mean, he goes frame by frame and

beat by beat to really be exacting on Michael's dance. And that's

I feel good. Are you ready to move on here to wing number two? Sure, why not?

All right. So up next is a pickled garlic sriracha here at the two spot.

Pickles. I like garlic and I like sriracha. There we go.

That's good.

That's nice. It's light.

You're trying to psych me out.

You're like, we're going to do a little dance with it. It's pretty good.

I've heard you refer to yourself as a child of the theater and then talk about

these storied institutions like the public theater, downtown Manhattan as

church. Do you have a favorite moment in the day -to -day of a stage production?

Is there more magic in the pre -show buzz or the curtain call for you?

I think the pre -show buzz is great because I feel like you're about to go

a leap of faith with a bunch of people who are here to experience something

honest and raw.

Those, you get a lot of nerves.

Sometimes you're like you're singing with your castmates. You're like getting

the mood of it so you can prepare yourself for the audience. It's just

Reflecting back on early performances at places like the Brooklyn Rep or Campo

Santo or the California Shakespeare Theater. Wow, you went way back.

Is there a production that you look back on and think of as most impactful or

paradigm shifting in your journey as an actor? Oh, yeah, for sure.

It's Passing Strange.

It's a show that I did that was a co -production between Berkeley Rep and the

Public Theater.

And anything that I've ever done on Broadway actually started out in a

theater and with some wily way of figuring out we're going to make some

art. And then it becomes commercialized in some way. So Passing Strange was that

for me. It was a show that came to me literally right after I lost my mother.

And it was the art to sort of like, I'd say it saved my life. It gave me

somewhere to put.

That heartache, it gave me somewhere to put all the characters that were inside

of me, to build a company.

And we just, we really just like, we stood on the edge creating a new

And then it moved to Broadway and then it became successful there.

And then Spike Lee filmed it. And so it's one of those special things where

like, oh, this absolutely changed all of our lives.

White hot mustard sauce.

Oh, that smells so good.

Take it in.

You don't know what the connoisseur is.

I can tell. This is a sauce man right here.

Oh, that's really good.

Hits.

That's nice.

That's really nice.

It sounds like we're three for three here with the sauces, like in your

wheelhouse. That's good. And it has a little kick.

It has a little kick that comes in a little later.

And let's not underestimate the cumulative effect here. You know what I

We're three down.

Wall's starting to close in, but nothing we can't handle. No, we're doing good.

We're doing good.

What's the experience like for an actor when you're playing a hero and a villain

almost simultaneously?

Like in a year when you go from Mr. in the Color Purple, then Bayard Rustin and

Rustin, does that create like a kind of Stanislavski method vertigo in you as an

actor? Does it really not work like that? You know what? I don't know, but I

feel like, I know how to tap into those things in very strange ways.

So I constantly have that in my career, which is wild. But also that speaks to

the work that I do. I keep challenging myself.

And so for me, I know that.

Heroes and villains live in every human being.

And I want to see how I can make them the most complicated versions of

themselves. So I'm game.

And then as a talk show host, I'm just curious how you built out your character

as a dystopian game show host in The Running Man. Like, was there anything

you were particularly drawing on to find, like, the cynicism in hosting?

Yeah, I went through down the rabbit's hole of like show hosts. So I went to

whether Steve Harvey or whether it was a talk show host, it could have been

Oprah, could have been, you know, Wendy Williams, whatever. And then eventually

I was like, what kind of show host or talk show host is this person?

And then literally the day before I started rehearsals, they just released

Jerry Springer documentary.

I started watching. I'm like, whoa, whoa, whoa.

I think I have something here.

Here's someone who is absolutely stirring.

people up and their ugly selves and then feels like I have nothing to do with

it. I sit back. I'm chill. I didn't do anything. Someone who can rest easy but

then also stir it all up. And I thought, well, that's who he is.

It says in the script that I'm the most famous show host in the world.

And I thought, well, what does that look like? So I wanted to create that

character who was just like rich and fabulous and a little showy but also

someone who you know he sleeps well at night.

Yeah. No blood on my hands. No blood on his hands at all. Exactly.

Ooh, that smells good.

Oh, my God. When I walked in here, it just smelled like hot sauce for, like,

everywhere. Yeah, yeah. You know, that's an aggregate, you know? But once you

start taking them out piece by piece, you know, a lot of beautiful colors in

here. Mm.

That's good.

A little smoky. Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm.

Peachy. And then I think it has that kick at the end. You know, you're an

experienced sauceman.

So you know sometimes they can be a little deceiving at first and then –

Exactly.

I'm doing all right. You're doing great. Yeah.

I'm judging myself right now. Like how am I doing?

It feels good. You're doing great. Thank you. Take it from me. Thank you.

So whenever I hear you talk about food in an interview, it's clear that you're

someone who knows exactly what you're talking about. If you could travel at

hyperspeed for breakfast in London – Lunch in Philadelphia and dinner in L

how would you break down like your three perfect meals and a food day? Oh,

that's good.

Breakfast in London.

I think I would just go for a simple English breakfast, you know, very

you know, with the beans and all that good stuff.

Lunch in Philadelphia. Oh, man, I would go for a messy, nasty.

Cheese steak with like some – Iskabibble?

I would go to Iskabibble. That's my jam. I know.

Iskabibble is everything. It's messy. It's greasy.

You can either go to Provolone or Wiz. I always change it up. My order is with

salt, pepper, ketchup, pickles, and sweet peppers.

Sometimes I get fried onions. It all depends on what I like. But I love a

cheese steak.

And then dinner, I would go to L .A.

and I would go to – you know what? There's a really good place called

Seafood. And it's fantastic.

It's just really good oysters.

I love a good oyster.

An oyster always tastes like a celebration to me. Yeah, I agree. I

with oysters every birthday.

This one, I feel like it's going to mess me up a little bit. Dangerous.

Dangerous smelling.

It does.

You know, because I feel like your body knows, chemically, you know what your

body likes and what it doesn't like. And I'm like, I don't know about this.

My brain's like, be careful.

Let's see.

There's a little chicken on there blowing fire out of its mouth. I know.

All right.

Solid disclaimer.

Don't give it to your chicken.

Is it true that you choose a unique scent for each character you play? And

so, can you talk me through how you would define maybe a scent for, like,

Strand in Fear of the Walking Dead? Like, can you talk us through the

So good, man.

Not that I'm surprised, but you've done a deep dive.

Well,

I'm going to have you eat these scorched and hot chicken wings. I've got to meet

you halfway in some way. I love scents. For Victor Strand, because I was in the

apocalypse, I don't think I used that much scent with him.

Do you have any foundational advice for how one can find their own signature

scent? Like, are there certain personality traits or style proclivities

make somebody more, say, like, woodsy than citrusy?

I feel like...

You can do a character analysis and say, oh, you're more like this. I bet you're

like this as a person.

Like I like fresh, grassy. I like a little oud. I like – so the scents that

love are like a little playful.

But also I'm not afraid of floral either. Like I love – Let's go.

Gardenia. I love like something heavy. But not rose.

Rose is – What's wrong with rose?

Nothing wrong with rose. But rose you just got to be very careful with because

it can be overpowering. It could dominate anything.

You can't really layer rose.

You know, I like to like, I will wear like three or four cents at one time.

I put a little right here. I have something different here and I may put

something different on the back. Whoa. So, you know, you can smell me when I'm

leaving.

You got a full three -act structure here.

Exactly. Exactly.

Homegrown hell.

Okay.

Soft leopard.

Hitting it with this. Oh, whoa, whoa.

Now, calm down.

You're going to put that on you? Okay.

Wow. Okay. This is...

This

is another one that I think a couple seconds down the line. Oh, wow. Okay.

It sits.

Okay. Oh, wow. Okay. Wait.

That's a sneaky little... You got to watch him. Ooh.

Yeah.

So maybe this is a naive question, but is there anything uniquely challenging

about a trained actor playing an amateur one like you did in Sing Sing? Like, do

you have to unlearn things? Are you actually acting better because you're

capturing a raw version of the form? From the outside looking in, it just

like such a galaxy brain endeavor.

You know what you have to do? You have to make a decision on the kind of actor

that you think that your character is. Is he a good actor or not?

And I made a choice that he was fine.

I was like, yeah, you can make a choice. I'm playing an actor. I'm like, he's

really good at what he does. I'm like, he's fine.

He's good enough.

Because I also feel, wow.

Something happened.

It's the road we're on going forward. It's just like getting back.

It just hit something in there.

It was like, I'm not done.

It was like, you can talk, but I'm not done.

But I think that you really have to make a decision.

And my co -stars, they were all men who went through the rehabilitation of the

arts program.

And they were good actors.

But I think that they had a rawness to them, which was also their appeal.

They should not have been expected to be Meryl Streep.

But they had the integrity and the heart.

To achieve, you know, greatness in that way.

Ooh.

Yeah. Funky. Who's funky?

Yeah, well, yeah, because it's in the possessive. There is a funky out there

somewhere, you know?

This one's kind of the one that knocks me back a little bit.

Ooh.

Ooh.

Ooh.

Yeah.

Okay.

This is... Yeah, this one is to be desired.

Yeah, this is... This is hitting.

Yeah. It's hitting a little bit.

We're up in the clouds at this point. Yeah, so you just try to get some

It's tough in this altitude.

Yeah, find it.

Find it right there. Right there.

What's your approach to handling a director's note that feels off base to

Like, are there any rules of engagement when it comes to onset diplomacy?

I think you have to.

I know that I've had a practice of let's give a note from a director that you're

just not sure of.

Sometimes I think the job is just like look and say, OK, great, got it. And

you go and do what you're supposed to do.

But I think it's also important to try something.

Why not try it?

You don't know what's in their head.

And same here. But I will always ask as well as an actor, say, can I try one? Or

I'll always get one from me if I want to try something really wild and off

-putting in some way, you know?

You did a great job of just eloquently nailing that

answer. And then we just kind of let it out, you know? Yeah, exactly. Just lose

a notch on the belt.

It's Zen, man. That's right. As the actor, I mean, I just go to a Zen place,

quiet place, yeah, and reset.

Well, you know, you're really going to need it for this next one.

We have to bomb beyond insanity.

Yeah, I've seen that before.

This doesn't even smell right.

Okay, just, all right.

Oh. You were saying? Yeah.

Look at that actor in you. Look at that zen. Look at you finding the balance

right now. Listen, I've worked with zombies.

I've played Joe Jackson.

No fear.

No fear. You've got to go for it. You're like, this is tough.

But I've been on 16 -hour sets.

It's tougher than this.

That's right.

But you know what? As far as prep goes, as far as interviews go.

It's coming in. Yeah.

Yeah. Okay.

It's starting to smack me in the face.

Just a little bit.

As a photojournalism major and lifelong performer yourself, do you have any

foundational tips for aspiring actors when it comes to taking proper

I think I don't even know what you just said.

I think, I think, listen.

First of all, you should always try to dress like the job you want to get.

Plain and simple.

You want to just show yourself. You don't want to do like back when I was

up, you had to have a shot with some glasses hanging from your mouth.

Smart.

Looking at a watch.

You're concerned about time. And it's something when you're a thug wearing a

leather jacket.

You know, like me trying to look like a thug.

Because I'm a tough guy. A tough guy. But you needed to have like four. That

the thing. And that was back in the day when you had to staple the headshots

together. We don't do that, thank God.

But I think you just always have to present yourself as like really in the

of the job that you want to get.

What's the biggest mistake young actors make when picking an audition monologue?

Like are there any lessons that you had to learn the hard way?

There is actually.

I've gone into colleges and I would do sort of monologue slams.

I would ask a student to show me a monologue that presents you and what you

to do.

I remember we had this one time. It was at SCAD.

In Savannah.

And this young woman presented with a monologue from Neil LaBute's Fat Pig.

And she was a big girl.

And then I said, so why did you choose that monologue?

And she said, well, I think that this is the way that industry will see me.

And then I just said it. And I didn't know that it would lead to this sort of

reawakening. I said, well, how do you see yourself?

I said, because when you walked in, when I talked to you, I saw a queen.

I saw Juliet.

I saw all these things.

I said, so don't limit yourself.

And she burst into tears.

Everyone burst into tears. I burst into tears.

But I realized that that was part of it. I knew that that was my journey. It was

like, in order for me and any young person to say, how do I want the world

perceive me?

You got to perceive yourself first.

I feel above my lip, like Whitney Houston, how she used to sweat.

I know. That smells like it hurts.

Oh, why a big piece? No.

You know how the last one was super hot and then had no redeeming culinary

qualities to speak of? Yeah.

It's almost like the worst is over. This is actually cool.

That's what I'm talking about. This is actually good.

I'm good.

What you got for me?

This is good.

Which pre -fame job do you remember most fondly, working customer service at

Macy's, slinging drinks at the 55 Bar, or your time as an aerial performer in

the circus?

Man, you do good.

Slinging drinks at 55 Bar. I worked at this famous jazz bar in the West

It's no longer there.

But, dude, I've got to listen to the best jazz musicians from around the

every single night.

You know, I'm a people person. I think that was the best side hustle gig for

I've bartended for 15 years.

From Nash Bridges to True Crime, Law & Order, and its various spinoffs, is

a bit or guest role from early on in your career that you think of as like

most interesting character to play, even if the screen time and lines were

limited? Oh yeah, I know exactly what that is.

It was this role, I wish I remembered his name, but it was on Nash Bridges,

I played this criminal who kidnapped Don Johnson's daughter.

He busts in to get me after he finally finds out it's me.

And I'm bench pressing in a Coogee sweater.

It's the weirdest thing you've ever seen in your life. I am dressed in like one

of those Bill Cosby Coogee sweaters.

And I'm bench pressing. Then he busts in. I'm like, oh, he's throwing the

weights off.

And then I run towards a door.

And he kicks me in the butt through the door.

Then he turns me around in this heavy -ass Coogee sweater.

And he's like, where is she? I'm like, I don't know. He's like, where is she?

And he smacks me.

Whatever.

And I just remember, that was the weirdest thing in the world.

They usually didn't cast people each season. Once you did that show, that was

for you.

But I kept coming in with a hump on my back or something. I don't know. But I

just kept transforming.

And they never found out it was me.

Mark of a great actor.

All right, Coleman.

What is this?

Last dab.

Why pinky up? I'm like, what am I doing?

I'm like, what am I doing?

You're sophisticated.

You're sophisticated, that's why.

Thank you. Here we go.

Last dab.

Cheers.

And with that, Coleman Domingo, the wings of death are behind us.

Pinky out.

Delicate napkin touch. All right.

And, you know, a pain shot to the side of my mouth for no reason.

This has been a wonderfully spicy journey through your acting career.

And I've heard you talk about how theater trained you to find the truth,

the most extreme of circumstances.

And you know what?

There's nothing realer than what we just did, eating ten scorching hot chicken

wings. Uh -huh. Is there a monologue or a line from a play that comes to mind

that best distills the kind of truth that you're feeling right now?

For all that I could ever read, could ever hear by Taylor History, the course

true love never did run smooth.

But either is different than blood, or else misgraphed in respective years, or

else listed upon the choice of friends. Or, if there were a sympathy in choice,

war, death, or sickness did lay siege to it, making it momentary as a sound,

swift as a shadow, short as any dream, brief as the lightning in the collied

night that in a spleen unfolds both heaven and earth.

An air a man has power to say behold.

The jaws of darkness do devour it up.

So quick, bright things come to confusion.

The jaws of darkness stood no chance, and look at you, Coleman Domingo, taking

on the wings of death.

Living to tell the tale, and now there's nothing left to do but roll out the red

carpet for you. This camera, this camera, this camera, let the people know

you have going on in your life.

Uh, what?

I have, um, ooh.

Okay, hi.

My name is Coleman Domingo. I have a few things going on besides that.

shooting around my mouth. It's like dancing around.

Doing figure eights and stuff.

I have a second season of four seasons coming out

on Netflix.

And then I also have the third season of Euphoria coming out. And then I have a

little biopic about Michael Jackson called Michael coming out.

So I really hope to see you in the movie theaters on the small screen.

It keeps going.

Oh, I did it. I did it without... That was my goal, to see if I can get through

it. It was... No water, no milk?

No.

I was like... I was getting crazy like that. If Will Forte can do it, I can do

it. Yeah, because Will Forte did it, and I went to set, and I'm like, you're a

maniac.

Thank you. Thank you so much. Dude, this is great.

I had a great time, Sean. This was great, man. Thank you so much.

Hey,

what's going on, Hot Ones fans? This is Sean Evans, and I want to introduce you

to the new kids on the block. Say hello to the Season 29 Hot Ones Hot Sauce

lineup. And if you want a chance to taste the show.

It's easy. Just visit Hot Ones dot com. Hot Ones dot com. That's Hot Ones dot

com to get your hands on the season 29 Hot Ones hot sauce lineup.

Keep milk on the ready. Ice cream not included. But most importantly, I

in you.