'I am a mamma's boy': Oscar nominee Colman Domingo remembers his mother writing letters to Oprah on 'GMA'

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: The February 17 episode of 'Good Morning America' aired an exclusive interview of Oscar-nominated actor Colman Domingo, conducted by co-host Whit Johnson.

The 54-year-old 'Rustin' star has reportedly made history by becoming the first Afro-Latino ever to be nominated for Best Actor at the Academy Awards. He is also the second openly gay man to earn a nod for playing a gay character, after Sir Ian McKellen.

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The Emmy winner opened up about his personal journey to stardom during the interview, sharing an interesting story revolving around his mother and Oprah Winfrey.

Being recognized by Oprah Winfrey

Johnson asked Domingo in the form of a true-or-false question, "Your mother used to actually write letters to Oprah in hopes that one day she would see you and recognize your talents?"

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"True," replied the actor, as the interviewer coaxed him to reveal more.

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"Yeah, I'm a mamma's boy," admitted the 'Euphoria' actor gracefully. "And every so often my mother would say, 'You know I wrote Oprah today.' I was like, 'Why?'"

"Well, because Oprah helps people," was his mother's response.

"It happened over and over and over again," continued Domingo. "I just didn't believe in those dreams. And I remember very clearly, she said, 'Well, you gotta play the game to win.' She said, 'You gotta have faith.'"

Oprah, who was the producer of 'The Color Purple', which saw Domingo play the critically acclaimed role of Mister, later revealed that she never received those letters, but did get the message, reported 'GMA'.

Persevering through hard times

Coming from a place of moderate means, Domingo had worked hard to claim his fame. Johnson revealed earlier during the interview that he even took up odd jobs such as bartending to pay the bills.

"At one point, you almost walked away from acting altogether," shared the co-host toward the end of the interview. "What kept you going?"

"Listen, no one does this alone. No one gets here alone," responded Domingo. "I have curated, cultivated, I think, such good people that we really invest in each other, really believe in each other, and we're honest with each other."

"So I owe it to them, but I also owe it to ... my husband. And I think it's always important to have a good group of people around you who remind you - actually are a reflection of - who you are, and have that in spades. I think that the work that I was seeking was always seeking me, and here we are," he concluded.

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