Spoiler alert: This post contains details about “The Madness.”
As the country’s socio-political infighting intensifies, Colman Domingo hopes his latest series can cut through the noise.
While watching The Madness, currently available on Netflix, the Oscar nominee told Deadline that he wants viewers to “see the big picture,” especially after the presidential election.
“I think this show challenges you to not just take what is given to you,” Domingo explained. “But if you think a little deeper and think about who is actually behind curtain numbers 3, 4, 5, 6 and how it benefits them and what you believe… The idea is that we need to continue to believe and separate ourselves from each other. And instead of you taking in all the information, it creates a rift between us.”
Created by Steven Belber, “The Madness” follows CNN critic Muncie Daniels as he takes a vacation job in the Poconos to write the great American novel, where he meets a famous white supremacist. He finds himself the only witness to a murder. Now he is being accused of it.
Forced on the run in a desperate fight to clear his name and unravel a global conspiracy, Muncie ultimately finds an unlikely ally against the corrupt billionaire pulling the strings. Find.
Colman Domingo as Mancie Daniels in ‘The Madness’
Amanda Matlovich/Netflix
“Isn’t that strange?” Domingo said playfully. “A billionaire who’s just a puppet of big American corporations running things and all of that. It’s very strange. Is it a conspiracy or is it real? I don’t know, you decide. ”
He said the series, from showrunners Belber and VJ Boyd, “explores who is promoting what stories and narratives to keep us in silos rather than uniting us.” Explained. Because it benefits companies, not the people. ”
Domingo ultimately spoke about the pressure of trying to change the world while in the spotlight of fame, noting that The Madness represents the kind of stories he wants to platform.
“I’m very conscious of whether I’m making a difference, whether I’m keeping my word, whether I’m doing something important in the world, even in my work. I can definitely see it. I’m very conscious. So I can clearly see the lines of my work. I’m not just going to grab the next thing that’s going to bring me a lot of access and money and a platform,” Domingo explained.
“I feel like I’ve always been very patient in that sense. So I’ve been playing the long game,” he added with a laugh. “But for me, fundamentally, I want to be really intentional and I know what I’m building. We are very conscious of the legacy of this very complex story about our family, and we hope that it will make a difference in our world.”
Read about Colman Domingo’s experience making The Madness, its post-election relevance, and the possibility of a second season.
DEADLINE: Tell us about your character, CNN pundit Muncie Daniels. Are there any pundits or newscasters who have influenced you?
Coleman Domingo: I was inspired by a lot of them. I feel like I could call people like my friend Jonathan Capehart, my other friend Don Lemon, and Van Jones. Anybody who’s really on this platform and expressing really strong opinions, I was like, “That’s him.” But I also wanted to create a character who was a little more centrist in their views, one who didn’t take sides too much. He’s basically just saying that he believes in our humanity, and fundamentally that if we get a chance, we can all sit across the table and have a discussion and find the light in the darkness. That means it can be done. So I think that’s essential to who Muncie is in the world. And that we start with that and then he has to go out into the world and the world says to him, “Do you really believe that? Or do you believe in something else and have to find a new self in the world?” Why not?’ Because when you lose your celebrity, you lose your education, and you’re just another black person in the world accused of a heinous crime, so who are you? Now you have to put on some new armor, and you go out into the world and have a new definition of yourself, redefine it, and make friendships with people you thought you didn’t need either. and necessity must be established. So it really confuses everything you were thinking about, or at least really broadens your perspective. I think that’s the theme of this show, because I think “madness” is not only internal, but also external.
DEADLINE: And a lot of it feels very relevant and important right now as we emerge from this election. Especially the whole theme of disinformation and the cult mentality of one side versus the other.
Domingo: I think the show is asking you a question. I think that’s what my showrunners, VJ Boyd and Stephen Belber, were really interested in. Let’s ask a question. Don’t just take what is given. But we need to dig a little deeper and find out who is behind the curtain numbers 3, 4, 5, 6 and how it benefits them, to continue to believe in what we believe and to separate ourselves from each other. Let’s actually look at the idea that there is. And instead of you accepting all the information, a rift remains between us. But the problem is the news. When I was in college, I majored in journalism. And I believed that news was news, and it was fact-based, not opinion-based. Then we moved to a 24-hour news cycle and now it’s just a vortex of information coming at you. opinion. I mean, it’s so far from the truth that we don’t even know what to actually believe. that’s it. It’s an opinion now and it’s been shaded and colored, but I think this show is trying to distill, distill, distill it back to its essence, and it’s true again.
Colman Domingo as Mancie Daniels in ‘The Madness’
Provided by: Netflix
DEADLINE: In the end, I’m thankful that both sides found a common enemy in this rich guy who doesn’t care about either of them.
Domingo: Isn’t that strange? Billionaires just being the puppets of big American corporations running things and all of that. It’s very strange. Is it a conspiracy or is it true? I don’t know, you decide. But when Stephen and VJ ask, “Who’s pulling the strings? What is America made of? What’s underneath our politics and lobbyists, and who controls it?” The reality is, yes, there’s a lot of money controlling it, and it’s helping people look at who’s fueling what narratives and narratives, and what brings us together. Instead, we lock them in silos. Because it benefits corporations, not the people. So I think it’s a no-brainer. We’re just asking you to look at the big picture. Don’t just believe in what is given to you.
DEADLINE: And the other important part of Muncy is his family. So it’s kind of heartbreaking to see how this is going to affect his family.
Domingo: Yeah, because I don’t think he did it right. I think that’s probably it. I think he was kind of given a gift that he didn’t want to ruin his whole life. Because he needs to rethink and reshape his relationships with his wife, two children, and his community. That’s what he believed he was advocating. for. But I think somehow the celebrity pulled him away from that in a way and made him think more about himself and not about us.
DEADLINE: As an actor, does being in the public eye and juggling those two parts of yourself resonate with you?
Domingo: But it’s true. I think that’s true to some extent, but I’ve been recognized as a celebrity quite late in my career, so I don’t think I feed off of it the way Muncy does. It’s new, shiny, and interesting. He has all his toys and things. However, that leaves no substance. I think that’s what his son, daughter and his wife are wondering. who are you? What are you really made of? Are you just Rolex and Range Rovers or more? Because you used to be obsessed with something and now you’re so fascinated with everything else. So who are you? They believed in one man, but he was nothing but a shell of themselves. And that means he goes back to the essential core of what’s important to him. I think that’s something I’m very conscious of. I’m very conscious of whether I’m making a difference, keeping my promises, and doing something important in the world, even with my work. You can definitely see it. Because I am very conscious, I can clearly see the lines of my work. I’m not just going to take the next thing that’s going to give me tons of access, money, and a platform. In that sense, I feel like I’ve always been very patient. I mean, I’ve been playing games for a long time. (Laughs) But for me, fundamentally, I want to be intentional and know what I’m building. I’m very conscious of the legacy of what I’m building, a very complex story about Black and Brown men and their families, and I hope that it makes a difference in our world.
Colman Domingo as Mancie Daniels in ‘The Madness’
Amanda Matlovich/Netflix
DEADLINE: And I love seeing him teaching history at the end and seeming more fulfilled in that part of himself.
Domingo: Well, what I love about it is that it feels like there’s no period in the show. It’s an awakening, it’s like a door opening, and I want to believe that he’s teaching – I don’t know if it’s temporary or a guest speaker or something. But I know he’s trying to reconnect and re-engage. And he knew there was something comforting about it. I’m also a teacher. I know that when I walk into a classroom, I remember why I do what I do. Because at some point, you’re just going to be hopping from job to job, just memorizing things by rote. I don’t know why you do it or why you care about it. But when I go and teach, I feel rejuvenated and I know exactly. You can see how much I inspire young people and how they can make a difference and how great it is to serve. For me, that moment was seeing him in active duty again, and not just being in a three-ring circus, but actually seeing him in active duty again, and that it was actually That’s the core of what he wanted to do with a platform like CNN. But then he just put on a red nose and drew three circles and became a circus tout. And he wanted to get out of there and go back to his roots.
DEADLINE: You’ve said there’s no time frame at the end of the show, but does it feel like there’s a chance for a season 2? It feels like you’re still looking over your shoulder at the end.
Domingo: Listen, I don’t say this very often about any show. Because I like to go from moment to moment on the show and have great moments and move on with my life and do something else. I think Muncie has more to offer in this show. I would love to be involved in season 2. So let’s see if people think he has more stories too. So I hope people watch it.
