IN CONVERSATION WITH COLE DOMAN

interview by JANA LETONJA
photography by LOGAN JACKSON

Cole Doman is set to star opposite Jessica Chastain in ‘The Savant’, a gripping new Apple TV+ limited series. Fresh off the New York Film Festival premiere of ‘The Mastermind’ alongside Josh O’Connor, Cole is carving out a name for himself with fearless, complex roles and a quiet intensity that commands attention. ‘The Mastermind’ premieres on 17th October. 

‘The Savant’ is based on a fascinating true story. What can you tell us about your character and how he fits into the story’s world?

Steve Dunicki is a police cadet from Indiana who finds himself, for the first time, in a position of authority which he’s desperate to cling on to.

You star opposite Jessica Chastain in the series. What was it like working alongside her, and what is the biggest lesson you learned from her on set?

Jessica walks onto set is and is ready to get right to work. She has an uncanny ability to be both extremely graceful and fiercely rigorous. By watching her work, I was able to step into my own authority over my character by advocating for the clearest most effective storytelling choices scene to scene. 

Your character is part of the extremist network being investigated. How did you approach portraying someone on the darker side of the story?

Embodying a role whose belief systems couldn’t be further than my own presented an opportunity to pare back all external factors and given circumstances, and hone in on what Steve is ultimately wanting to achieve. He’s someone who wants to take care of his family unit because he was lacking for that his entire life. That’s his fight. Somewhere along the way, someone told him that there was a reason, or community of people, who are to blame for his misfortune and that sort of malignant theory took over. So in order to have a very clear idea of what he’s fighting for, I built out a timeline of his life and tried to build the stakes, so that whatever is unmentioned in the script is dramaturgically rich.

This is a pretty high-stakes and timely subject matter. Did you do any special research or preparation for the role?

I read ‘Black Bill’ by Elle Reeve and re-read ‘To Kill All Normies’ by Angela Nagel, but I intentionally stayed away from any alt-right reddit threads or twitter feeds. I don’t believe you need to be an investigative journalist to portray a fictional person. 

Without giving too much away, what moment or scene in ‘The Savant’ are you most excited for people to see?

I think the finale is going to shock people. Plus, anytime we have the privilege to watch Jessica in fighter mood is worth tuning in for. 

You’re clearly drawn to complex and intense material. What kind of roles or stories are you most passionate about exploring?

Up to this point in my career, the roles that feel the most worthwhile are the roles that come to me that I wouldn’t have necessarily thought to cast me. I want to continue to pursue roles that I have no idea where to start working from, because that’s when the collaboration with the director is the most rewarding. If someone has faith in me, I’m willing to work my ass off. 

What do you think has helped you grow the most as an actor over the past few years?

I think I’ve been able to release control over the expectation that something should feel or land a certain way and put full faith in the process and the director’s vision. 

Are there any upcoming projects you’re currently working on or hoping to develop that you can tease?

I’m doing a total 180 next and leading a rom-com up in the Berkshires from a first time feature director, Gary Jaffe. It’s a really special, tender film with a fantastic ensemble cast. I can’t wait to dive in.

What’s one dream collaborator — a director, writer, or actor — you’d love to work with next?

God, there are so many I’d die to work with, but I’d say topping the list would be Andrew Haigh, Andrea Arnold, Olivier Assayas, Christian Petzold, Mia Hansen Love, Todd Haynes, and the list goes on. I’m also a pretty voracious reader, so I’d love to work on developing some of the incredible contemporary fiction that I’ve been reading over the past decade or so. 

Next up, we’ll be seeing you in ‘The Mastermind’. What can you share with us about the story and your character in it?

‘The Mastermind’ is about a bumbling art thief in the 1970s who goes on the lam following a failed heist at a contemporary art museum in Massachusetts. My character, Larry Duffy, is one of his accomplices, who doesn’t really trust the protagonist to follow through on his side of the deal. 

How did it feel experiencing the film’s NY premiere during the New York Film Festival?

Attending the NYFF premiere at the Alice Tully Theater was surreal. I’ve been coming to the festival since I moved to New York eight years ago as a film nerd trying to get into as many screenings as I could. But it was especially gratifying that I was there amongst the very talented ensemble of actors, and standing alongside Kelly Reichardt, one of my favorite directors.