Colman Domingo can’t wait to embody Nat King Cole in the upcoming biopic about the legendary jazz singer’s life. “I love the idea of sort of deconstructing an American icon,” Domingo, 54, exclusively told Us Weekly at the Newport Beach Film Festival Honors Brunch held at the Balboa Bay Club and Resort on Sunday, October 20. “I think that many people know Nat to be the epitome of grace and charm and music and soul, but also [I’d] like to get under the hood and show parts of Nat that they may not have known were there.
” Domingo added that he looks to Cole “as sort of a revolutionary” since he achieved major historical milestones while facing intense racial discrimination throughout his career. “He was making changes by being graceful, by being gentle,” the actor explained. “I like to examine grace as being a choice, and that’s something he always chose, but he had as much fire and fuel in him as Malcolm X.
” While Cole wasn’t as outspoken compared to other influential figures of the civil rights movement, Domingo wants to channel that same energy into his portrayal. “I’d like to actually deconstruct that myth of a man and show what’s underneath him so you hear the music differently,” he teased. “You hear his entire soul, not just what you want to hear.
” Earlier this year, it was announced that Domingo will star and make his directorial debut in the upcoming movie musical about Cole’s life. No additional details about the plot have been.