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When Colman Domingo takes the stage to introduce the SXSW premiere of his new film Sing Sing, a deeply moving portrayal of an art-based rehabilitation program at New York’s titular maximum-security prison, one second… Before long, there was a standing ovation. movie was shown. Part of that may be because less than 48 hours later, Domingo walked into the Dolby Theater for the 96th Academy Awards, nominated for his role as civil rights activist Bayard Rustin in Rustin.
This wasn’t even the world premiere of Sing Sing. That was at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, where A24 picked up the film and released it in theaters this July. But, as Domingo explains, variety After the film’s screening at SXSW, where the film received an even longer standing ovation, no questions were asked of him about whether he would attend.
“It’s funny, I’m shooting a movie in Los Angeles and I’m shooting a series in Toronto, and even my publicist asked me the other day, ‘Are you sure you want to go to Texas? ?’” he says. Laughter. “I said, ‘I have to be there.’ It’s just an instinctive thing.”
Domingo plays John “Divine G” Whitfield, who channels his resentment over his wrongful murder conviction into his work as an actor, writer, and founding member of Sing Sing’s RTA program. The rest of the film’s main cast, with the exception of Paul Lacey (“Sound of Metal”) as the group’s civilian director and theater actor Sean San Jose, and Divine G’s best friend and fellow inmate Mike, are former Sing Sing inmates and graduates of the RTA program are playing their own versions. One of those actors, Clarence “Divine Eye” Macklin, was cast in this film along with the real Divine G, director Greg Kweder (“Trans-Pecos”) and writer/producer Clint Bentley (“The Jockey”). He conceived the story of the movie.
In addition to the unusual composition of the cast, Kweder, Bentley, and fellow producer Monique Walton (“Bull”) took an equally exceptional approach to profit participation in the film. During production, everyone was paid the exact same day rate, and the entire cast was paid. The staff then has rights to the film based on the amount of time they worked on it.
At the premiere party for Sing Sing, Domingo said: variety Find out why the model was so appealing to him and her husband Raul Domingo (both of whom are also executive producers on the film), how filming in a correctional facility affected him, and what he learned from his co-stars. He only talked about what he learned.
This is a very busy weekend for you. Why was it important for you to come to SXSW for this premiere?
It’s funny because I’m shooting a movie in Los Angeles and I’m also shooting a series in Toronto. And the other day, my publicist asked me, “Are you sure you want to go to Texas?” I said, “I have to be there.” It’s an instinctive thing. I think bigger movies can get the love and amplification they need. A movie like this needs a star. This is a small movie, but we made it in a very small and beautiful way. Movies like this are very important to me. So I thought, “No, I have to do that.” Even if you’re a little tired.I finished work last night and got on a plane at 5am to get here and leave in the morning. [tomorrow], But it’s worth it. I’m here because this is work I believe in. I think every actor wishes they could do a job like this. I’m very proud that we built this with a very fair model. I’m incredibly proud of what we can do to change minds, amplify these voices, and actually change systems.
Can you talk about how that unbiased model came about?
yes. That came through our producers Greg, Clint and Monique. And when Raul and I came on board as executive producers, we knew that was the way to go. They really asked us every step of the way, “What do you think is the healthiest way to do this?” Should I go the studio route? Should we attract many large investors? Or should we keep our overhead low and make it fair for everyone, both above and below the line?” The points you earn are based on how much work you do on the film, so every point counts. And it’s fair. That also feels good. It feels just right. Everyone on set felt like this movie belonged to them. I didn’t feel like I was hired to do a job. It felt like a mission.
What was it like to watch your co-star, who is essentially playing a version of yourself, receive a standing ovation for his work?
I love watching them. Because they have no idea in their life that this could happen to them, that their previous circumstances caused them to do something like this, and that whatever that pain, hurt, or harm would be, they would change it. Because I know I never thought about it. It was for something beautiful and elegant. [Points at Sean “Dino” Johnson, one of his co-stars, sitting nearby.] I love watching Dino. Dino is the tallest and most sensitive person among them. Look at this guy. It’s written all over his face. He never imagined something like this would happen in his life. His traumas, his tragedies, his human experiences, and how they bloom.
You filmed a bit at the actual Sing Sing and another correctional facility upstate. What was it like being in a space that was inhabited by many of your co-stars?
It feels like you’re filming in hell. The atmosphere felt different. I think it’s designed so you don’t know true north, so we always got lost when we were there. It was hard to find sunlight. There were many things that served to psychologically suppress me rather than actually heal or rehabilitate me. You can’t undo that environment. That’s not possible. It wasn’t a closed prison where we filmed. Just being in that space, I knew right away that this had to change. This is not the way to treat humans, and this is not the way to make things better. This is how you keep the system going. It’s designed to keep people coming back.
So it was difficult.I guess that’s probably why I suddenly needed Sean. [San Jose]. At first, my best friend Sean was going to stay in a hotel, but I decided he needed a roommate, so I moved him into the Airbnb one-bedroom suite where I was living. I needed light and love and joy during the shoot to get into the space.
You have a lot of experience in film, television, and stage playing opposite people who play versions of themselves. Did you gain anything as an actor from their performances?
yes. I think I have gained a certain amount of experience working there. And this meant I had to go back to ground zero in a sense and respond like any other movie actor and say, “What can they give me?” How can we take this and respond organically? It doesn’t have to be perfect, it can be a little more raw. Because I think the secret strategy for me was to slip into their world. I didn’t want them to be on the same level as me as an actor, I had to be on the same level as them. I had to rely on everything they gave me.
One of the things I loved about this movie is that most of the characters have no idea why they were imprisoned. The movie seems to be saying that it doesn’t matter why they’re here. Just deal with who they are now.
Well, I think that’s always a choice a person has to make. I chose not to need to know who my co-stars were. I met them outside where they were. Whether a person is working on their own problems or not, I meet them where they are, what we are producing, and how we are doing it. And they became brothers to me.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
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