The Post-Nomination Energy of Danielle Brooks and Colman Domingo Is Everything

As the 96th Academy Awards ceremony inches closer and closer, most eyes are going to be on the ceremony’s proverbial juggernauts, such as Oppenheimer and Barbie—who seem to be back for round two of Barbenheimer—Killers of the Flower Moon, and Poor Things.

But, we’d be remiss to forget those who will be rolling up to the ceremony as the lone representatives of their films, such as Rustin‘s Colman Domingo and The Color Purple‘s Danielle Brooks, who will be competing for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress, respectively.

And while it may have been nice for both nominees to have more castmates and crewmates at the event, the energy they’ll be carrying into that room just might be the loudest of all, if their recent remarks to The Hollywood Reporter are anything to go by.

Domingo is the first Afro Latino man to be nominated for Best Actor, also making strides as an openly gay man landing a nomination. He’s also “limitless,” as he says, and the unique importance of that affirming energy in this context speaks for itself.

“I love the idea that people can witness the way I want to show complex Black men — very different, unique experiences and how they all live in me. Any actor worth his grain of salt would want that: to be able to be viewed as an actor the way I see myself — that I am limitless.”

Brooks, meanwhile, channeled her inner Sofia, the Color Purple scene-stealer she’s being nominated for, by sharing what she hopes the film will bring to future viewers now that her Oscar nomination will put it on more radars—namely, that we all get a chance to be more like Sofia.

“… playing Sofia has been the greatest gift, to own my power and validate myself and know who I am. That’s what I’ve learned from her. So, I just hope people watch the film, women watch the film and feel inspired and feel like they can step into their power the same way Sofia does. If you lose that, too, which happens in life, we all have moments of having to rediscover who we are and having moments where we fall and need to get back up. I just hope people, when they see Sofia, they know it’s possible.”

Indeed, Domingo and Brook have taken “It’s an honor just to be nominated” to an entirely new, inspiring level, and while they face some stiff competition in their respective categories, they’ve already done their films more than proud.

(featured image: Warner Bros. Pictures)