Griffin Matthews knows the power of representation—and he’s got a mentor who’s been paving the way for years: Colman Domingo. The two actors share more than just screen credits; they share a bond built on mutual respect, artistic ambition, and an unapologetic embrace of Black queer visibility in Hollywood.
We sat down with Matthews to talk about his role in the final season of Netflix’s thriller You, but it quickly turned into a Colman Domingo fan club moment. Because how could it not?
“I just finished Coleman’s series—all that Coleman Domingo is doing. That is what I want to do,” Matthews told Gayety. “The career that Coleman Domingo is having is absolutely incredible.”
How One Conversation Changed Everything
Both Matthews and Domingo have stepped into the shoes of civil rights leader Bayard Rustin—but in two very different ways. Domingo portrayed Rustin in Netflix’s Rustin, a 2024 biopic produced by Higher Ground Productions that earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. His performance brought Rustin’s legacy to life, spotlighting his role in organizing the 1963 March on Washington and his activism as an openly gay Black man.
For Matthews, the opportunity came through Genius: MLK/X, the fourth season of National Geographic’s acclaimed anthology series. The series, which premiered in February 2024, explored the lives of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, with Matthews taking on the role of Rustin.
When Matthews first got the audition for Genius, he wasn’t sure he was ready. “I was like, ‘Colman, they want me to audition for Bayard. I’m not ready. I can’t do it. I don’t think that they’re going to see me as Bayard,’” Matthews recalled.
Domingo’s response was instant and impactful. “He was like, ‘Griffin, you can do it. You have a European-ness about you, like James Baldwin… You’ve got that dandy thing,’” Matthews said. “And I got the job literally days later.”
That vote of confidence wasn’t just a boost—it was a turning point. “We have touch-base sessions with each other where we just talk about the business and our lives inside of the business. I count him as a friend and a mentor,” Matthews said.
Fashion as a Form of Liberation
Domingo’s influence isn’t limited to acting. His bold fashion choices have also inspired Matthews to take up space unapologetically. At a recent lunch, Domingo told him something that stuck:
“I don’t think he’d mind that I’m sharing this, but he said to me, ‘I dress for all of us. I dress for you, and I dress for all of the Black men that are trying to elevate,’” Matthews shared.
“It’s not just for him. It is giving me a window to go, I can wear a yellow suit on the red carpet because Colman is doing all of those things,” Matthews said. “I think I can walk in here with this yellow suit, and I don’t think people are going to go, ‘What is he doing?’ I think we’re going, ‘Yeah, that’s what we’re all doing now.’”
A Dream to Lead—and to Disrupt
With Domingo’s mentorship lighting the way, Matthews is ready to take his own path forward. “I want to lead a series. It hasn’t happened yet. I’ve been in the business for 20-plus years, and I tend to play the position of the disruptor. And I would love to lead a series where people get to peer into the world of what it actually is to be a gay Black man living in 2025,” he said.
He’s clear on his goal: to tell stories that go beyond surface representation and into the real lives of queer Black men. “We have to start to not just have these characters in place, but we’ve got to go home with them so we can really know what’s happening behind those closed doors,” Matthews explained.
Matthews credits Domingo for showing him what’s possible. “He’s a real artist. A real one,” he said proudly. “Anything he’s doing, I want to be part of it.”
Watch our full interview with Griffin below!
