The Color Purple’s Danielle Brooks on epic advice co-star Colman Domingo gave her in 2011 before fame
Exclusive: “We get into a conversation, I said ‘I’m struggling. I don’t know how I’m going to make it',” recalls Danielle of her conversation with Colman
Danielle Brooks has shared an amazing story about meeting Colman Domingo, her co-star in The Color Purple, before finding fame in Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black.
Both actors are tipped to receive Oscar nominations for their work in the new musical film, based on the book of the same name by Alice Walker.
Danielle, 34, shot to fame after OITNB debuted in 2013; 54-year-old Euphoria star Colman’s screen roles date back to the 90s.
“He said: ‘Don’t give up’”- The Color Purple’s Danielle Brooks on Colman Domingo
“Colman’s the s**t,” Danielle told Attitude in an interview in November 2023. “I shouldn’t use that language. But that’s how much I respect him! No, I say that with the utmost respect.
“When I was first coming out of [NYC’s Juilliard School] in 2011, I was a struggling actor. I was dog-sitting, and baby-sitting, and waitressing, and struggling; I [saw him] on 42nd Street, he was there, I was a huge fan. I told him how dope he was. We get into a conversation. I was telling him: ‘I’m struggling. I don’t know how I’m going to make it.’
“He encouraged me! He was like: ‘I’m telling you, keep going the course. Don’t give up’”
“Over 10 years later, getting to act with him… He’s a character actor, which I love, because they’re the ones who really know how to swing a script around. But for him to have this moment right now. He’s so deserving.”
On the prospect of Colman scoring two 2024 Oscar nominations, for both his supporting turn in The Color Purple and for his main role in Bayard Rustin biopic Rustin, Danielle said: “It’s coming. I’m texting him that all the time.”
The Color Purple follows the romantic and sexual relationship between two Black women, Celie and Shug, from the 1910s to the 1940s. Danielle plays the role of Sofia, Celie’s close confidant, in the film.
On her character’s sexuality, Danielle said: “I think Sofia, as much as I would have loved her to be a little spicy and be bisexual, she’s straight up! She’s an eggplant lover!”
The Color Purple is released in UK cinemas on 26 January 2024.