The Fantastic Advice Denzel Washington Gave Colman Domingo About Handling Award Season: ‘He Wanted To Remind Me What It’s Actually About’
Colman Domingo earned his second Best Actor Oscar nomination in as many years, which is a pretty impressive feat that has only been accomplished a few times before. One actor who has done it is Denzel Washington, who has been nominated for so many awards it’s hard to count (except the BAFTA), and it turns out the Gladiator II star had some solid advice for the younger actor who will probably see a lot more awards in the years to come.
Back in 2020, before Domingo was the toast of the Oscars, he was in the cast of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, a Netflix film produced by Denzel. Domingo tells People Washington gave him a piece of advice about awards, doing the job of acting is ultimately about the satisfaction that comes with the work. According to Domingo, Washington said…
He said, ‘You know, Colman. A lot of times, for a long time, you think it’s about the awards. Then you start winning all the awards. And you’ll realize at some point it’s not about the awards, it’s about the reward.’
It’s good advice to be sure. Being nominated for and winning awards is surely wonderful, but if you make it the goal, and fail to achieve it, then you lose sight of what makes the awards meaningful in the first place. Washington himself was seen as having a shot at a nomination for his role in Gladiator II. It didn’t happen, and Washington didn’t seem too upset by it, clearly practicing what he preaches here.
For Colman Domingo, the focus is on doing great work and finding it rewarding in itself. If you can achieve it, then you feel much more fulfilled. If the work then happens to receive awards, so much the better. He continued…
The acknowledgment, the awards are great stuff, but it’s the reward of doing good work and making good work happen, and figuring that out for yourself.
Domingo himself wouldn’t receive an Oscar nomination for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, but the movie would receive several nominations, including a posthumous Best Actor nod for Chadwick Boseman. While Domingo wasn’t recognized then, he says Denzel likely saw it was only a matter of time before the nominations started rolling in. Domingo said…
So I think he knew the territory that I was leaning into and he wanted to remind me what it’s actually about.
All that is not to say Colman Domingo doesn’t appreciate, or doesn’t want, to win the awards. He clearly is happy to have his two Oscar nominations. The awards show others appreciate his work and that is meaningful to him. He continued…
I love the idea of being feted and winning these awards, and being acknowledged is so fantastic and wonderful, because it gives you more fuel to keep doing what you’re doing. But it is about the reward.
It’s a safe bet Colman Domingo isn’t done getting the Oscar love, whether or not he wins the award at the 2025 Oscars. However, he also makes plenty of movies that are far less likely to get awards consideration, he’s a voice in Disney+ Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man and he’ll appear later this year in The Electric State for the Russo Brothers. Domingo appreciates he has this other work because it helps him focus on the “reward” and not the “award.” He said…
That’s why I always love that I have some work in between during this award season because it helps remind me what it’s really about. It’s about creating more work and creating more work for others and a new platform, so that’s where you find the joy, and it’s the truth. So that’s a great pearl from Denzel.
Whether Colman Domingo will win an Oscar for his role in Sing Sing is unclear. The competition this year is quite stiff. However, while Domingo might be disappointed if he doesn’t come away with the award, it doesn’t mean he won’t still feel like he did his job well.
