WATCH: Colman Domingo & Clarence Maclin On The Power Of Reliving The Past In ‘Sing Sing’

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The actors open up on recreating the beauty of a dark period one of them actually lived through in this uplifting prison drama.

Transcript

00:00Well, every day was fun and lighthearted because I had my comrades with me, I had my bros with

00:06me.

00:07We done been through the fire together, we done been to college together, and now we're

00:10making a movie together.

00:12So every day was like a reunion, it was great.

00:14And then I had my brother Coleman who I just connected with.

00:18We met via Zoom and all that for the first time we got it together.

00:22But once we got into the space, I mean, once we got on the Zoom, like two minutes into

00:27the conversation, it was just like this.

00:30That's just how it went.

00:31You know, the connection was immediate.

00:35But once we got into the space and we was there for days at a time, you know, it just

00:39made the bond stronger, solidified the bond.

00:42It's a lot of scenes that didn't get to the movie that you might want to see, you know?

00:47It's a lot of things that didn't make it into the movie that, I mean, I think they should

00:52make a cut of that.

00:54It's inspiring.

00:59To die.

01:01To sleep.

01:03To dream.

01:07This is a clemency hearing for your conviction 25 to life.

01:12Since you've been in custody, you've been involved in the theater program.

01:17All right, gentlemen, let's go.

01:20It's been a program that was established to help people get more in touch with their feelings

01:25and to get some rehabilitation.

01:27I am gladiator Goliath.

01:29I am Star Trekker.

01:31I'm Prince Hamlet of Denmark.

01:35And it's turned into something, I don't know, wonderful.

01:41What part do you play?

01:42From time to time I do act, like we all do.

01:46So are you acting at all during this interview?

01:52To kick things off, Colvin, I'll start with you.

01:54This movie deals a lot with a lot of misconceptions people have about people who have been through

02:00incarceration and have, you know, become victims of the system.

02:06I want to know, when you first read the script and when you researched the story, what was

02:10it about Divine D's soul and his personality that drew you in and made you want to play this role?

02:17You know, the thing is, I didn't have a script to read at first.

02:21There was just an article from Esquire magazine that told me about the program itself.

02:26And then meeting with Greg and Clint, my director and co-writer, they had an idea that they

02:33haven't been able to really hit.

02:35They've had this idea and they were like, we needed to involve you and involve my brother

02:40Clarence here and see how we can create this story based on some people who've had this

02:46lived experience.

02:47So meeting my brother John, who I play a version of in many ways, I thought I wanted to download

02:54and take in his heart, his humanity, these key things that I start to understand about

03:00him, about always being in the law library and always advocating for others and really

03:05being a person who is doing his own work of healing and rehabilitation and working with

03:13other brothers with this program, RTA.

03:15I thought all of that was fascinating and I wanted to be a part of that and I wanted

03:19to help build that.

03:20And so did my brother here.

03:22We wrestled with text.

03:24We wrestled with how to do it, what stories were important to us.

03:27The themes that are the underlying themes of the film and the arcs of it.

03:32Every single part of that we've been a part of and creating.

03:36So it wasn't like something was there.

03:38We actually have our fingerprints on it to make it.

03:41And I think that's why we feel ownership of it.

03:43And because there are things that are important personally to me that I knew that I wanted.

03:48I wanted to show tenderness between black and brown men.

03:51I wanted to show, to deconstruct what people think about us.

03:55And the things that I started to understand about this brother's heart and how he cares

03:59for other people, making sure that they show up, the work that he's doing.

04:03I got to know who this brother is now and what he does with youth and how he inspires

04:08people and he's really a community builder in many ways.

04:11I had all this information to pull from and say, oh, these are the men and their stories

04:17that I want to tell and how this program works to rebuild the minds and hearts and

04:24souls of these men to bring them out into society and make them really productive members

04:29of the society and make this world a better place.

04:31Now I know you're in a unique position here.

04:33We've seen you play historical figures.

04:35Often now we've seen you play fictional characters, but you're playing a person that

04:39is not only a real person, but is still living and can react to your performance.

04:45What has his reaction been and what was that experience like for you playing someone that

04:49can actually give you feedback on, you're doing me wrong here, you're doing me right there?

04:54Well, you know, I think we both had to understand that we're creating a work based on a true

05:00story, that it is something that I need to take and liberate myself from the real person.

05:05I can take aspects of that person, but I have to build it into a character that exists in

05:09100 minutes.

05:10You know, everything won't be exactly the way you did it, the way you move, the way

05:14you cut your hair, the way you, you know, whatever.

05:16But I have enough compassion and curiosity to try to get the essence of a person and

05:23put them into the spaces where I feel like I would have my brother say, oh, my God, you

05:28remind me just like he was like that.

05:30You would say, please, I'm going to look like him sometimes.

05:33You know, that was the greatest compliment.

05:35And so he wouldn't critique me in a way, because also the beautiful thing is John is

05:39an artist.

05:40He's a playwright in his own right.

05:42And he's an actor and a director.

05:43And so he knew that I would take, you know, dramatic license and theatrical license with

05:49his portrayal.

05:50You know, there was maybe one time I was a one or two times he would come say, well,

05:53I would have done.

05:54I would have did this, whatever.

05:55I might remember the same.

05:57But but also that's human.

05:59And also, but I think he's very proud of what I I think he wanted to make.

06:03I think all anybody ever wants is for you to take care of their soul.

06:06And you're going to make sure that you give the complexity of who they are.

06:09You know, I didn't want to make him too heroic and I didn't want to make him to villainize

06:13him in any way.

06:14I want to make him human.

06:15And that was my goal and intention.

06:17And I think he trusted that.

06:19And yeah, great job.

06:21Thanks, man.

06:22And Clarence, you and also unique positions like playing yourself, but you're playing

06:27yourself at a different time frame in your life.

06:29So it's almost as if you're playing a different person, but you aren't.

06:33What was that experience like to have to go back to a place that you've evolved past

06:38and portray that for the screen?

06:40That's a great question.

06:41I like the way you put it.

06:43To go back into that same mind state and put on the greens to walk voluntarily, go back

06:50inside a prison.

06:51You know, all those things create a lot of apprehension for me and a little anxiety as

06:56well.

06:57But the purpose of doing it is a lot bigger than apprehension and anxiety.

07:02The reason why I was doing it made more sense to me, made me play past all that apprehension

07:08and show up and give the best performance I could get.

07:11Because the obligation I have to the story and to the community that brothers like me

07:19return to after, you know, damaging the community to come back with the mindset to repair the

07:26community and help others and be a contributor and be responsible for this now.

07:32You know, that was the purpose of doing all that.

07:35So it was a great experience to do.

07:39And I know I'm sure it was a difficult experience to have to, you know, go back, like you said,

07:44limitedly into a prison on your own volition.

07:46But what was a maybe a particularly fun or lighthearted day set for you, despite the

07:52fact that you were in that environment?

07:54Well, every day was fun and lighthearted because I have my comrades with me.

07:59I have my bros with me.

08:00We don't, we don't been through the fire together.

08:02We don't been to college together.

08:04And now we're making a movie together.

08:06So every day was like a reunion.

08:08It was great.

08:09And then I have my brother Coleman, who I just connected with.

08:12We met via Zoom and all that for the first time we got it together.

08:16But once we got into the space, I mean, once we got on a Zoom, like two minutes into the

08:22conversation, it was just like this.

08:24That's just how it went.

08:26You know, the connection was immediate.

08:28And but once we got into the space and we was there for days at a time, you know, it

08:33just made the bond stronger, solidified the bond.

08:36It's a lot of scenes that didn't get to the movie that you might want to see.

08:40You know, there's a lot of things that didn't make it into the movie that I mean, I think

08:46they should make a cut of that.

08:48It's inspiring.

08:51I think the thing is, as well, to do a film like this, we're asking people to bring up

08:58parts of themselves and experiences.

09:00You're asking people to, hey, come back into this space.

09:04Yeah.

09:05And they look at it as a privilege.

09:06They're not even apprehensive.

09:07They're just like, you know, I'm going to do this because it's going to save some other

09:10lives.

09:11Yeah.

09:12It requires a level.

09:13And for me to be the leader of this group is it requires a level of radical joy.

09:18And I think that we made sure that we looked after each other outside, you know, off stage,

09:23off screen and made sure that there was music and there was laughing and dancing so that

09:28everybody felt like there was truly a bond of brotherhood that we can pull from as we

09:32go and do this work and this heavy lifting and being in these spaces of like decommissioned

09:36prisons in upstate New York and all.

09:38But we knew that the task at hand is that this is something that's meaningful and sort

09:44of deconstructs ideas about these men and women, you know, behind bars and showing that

09:50their hopes, dreams and aspirations and their willingness to do the work for true rehabilitation

09:56to be members of society.

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