Breakout Star Cole Doman as Mark Segal in HBO’s ‘Equal’

Cole Doman may not be a household name just yet, but he is navigating his way through the crazy world of show business. The Pennsylvania native made his mark in the Chicago theatre scene, and he delivered a breakout performance as Henry Gamble in Stephen Cone’s Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party, a film that explores the tensions that can arise when homosexuality and religion occupy the same space.

Now, Doman can be seen as Mark Segal in HBO Max’s four-part docuseries, Equal. Complete with an all-star LGBTQ cast, Equal chronicles landmark events and honors forgotten LGBTQ trailblazers. The show uses archival footage along with stylistic depictions that bring to life the backstories of LGBTQ leaders and unsung heroes.

Segal is a journalist and activist who took part in the Stonewall Riots and was a co-founder of the Gay Liberation Front where he created its Gay Youth program. He founded and was the former president of the National Gay Newspaper Guild, and the founder and publisher of Philadelphia Gay News. Segal has won several journalism awards for his work.

OUT FRONT had the opportunity to chat more with Doman about what it meant to play Segal, why audiences should watch Equal, and some of his other projects, including Alan Ball’s film Uncle Frank.Hi, Cole! Thank you for taking some time to chat with me. How are you doing during these unprecedented times?
I am doing OK. It was a long summer, and I was in New York for most of it, so I am just trying to make the best of it. As New York’s numbers went down, I tried to meet up with friends in parks, and work is now starting to pick back up. I am in Chicago right now, so yeah, I am not doing too bad.

You appear in HBOS’ new docuseries Equal playing Mark Segal. What does playing Mark and being involved with this show personally mean to you?
It means a lot to me. I feel very honored to represent someone who was so instrumental in forging the path to equality, and just having that personal connection to Mark because we are both from Philadelphia.

I think about myself at that time and age and if I would have had the courage to leave my home as young as he did and move to New York. I feel incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be part of the storytelling, and a lot of the storytelling are archival things no one has seen before. I think they are incredible, and I hope people can learn from it.

Were you familiar with Mark’s story before accepting the role?
When I auditioned for it, when I put my tape together, I had done some of my homework. I looked him up, found out he was from Philly, and kind of read over his bio. Once I was cast in the role, I was able to have a nice, long conversation with Mark over the phone. He sent me his book, which I devoured. I hope to meet him the next time I am visiting my family in Philadelphia.

What kind of legacy do you believe Mark is leaving?
I believe it is a legacy of strength, resilience, and taking something that might seem terrifying and scary and turning it into a moment of pure joy. He has this infectiousness to him and his personality. When you are thinking about rebellions, Stonewall, and all the riots that happened, we don’t let ourselves remember that this was a moment for a lot of these men and women to really celebrate the revolt. There was violence, but there was also a lot of joy.

Mark is a journalist. How important do you believe journalism is in today’s times?
I think journalism is always going to be a pillar of media and how we intake information. Unfortunately, sometimes the powers that run news corporations and a lot of these journalism avenues are coming from extreme wealth and have their own agenda. A lot of times, the information we are being fed is in order to protect the ruling class. It is a very tricky thing.

I think the rise of the internet and journalism on Twitter is great because we get this sort thing where every man has a voice on the internet. They are not being sponsored by super PACs to divulge information and censor information, but yes, I think it is incredibly important. How else would we get our information? How else would we hear these untold stories and that part of our history? How else could we reflect, respect, celebrate, and learn from it?

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What do you hope audiences take away from Equal?
Whenever I work on anything, whether it’s something that is historical or not, I just hope that people leave with a little bit more empathy and a greater respect for the journey.

Equal has an all-star, LGBTQ cast portraying these significant LGBTQ icons. Do you believe only LGBTQ people should play LGBTQ roles?
Hm, this is a tricky one. I think when an actor is drawn to a role for whatever reason that may be, oftentimes they are personal reasons. I think it is in an actor’s best interest to take roles that interests them. That they think they can really tap into something. A lot of times, I think we get into trouble when young actors take gay roles. All of a sudden, their career starts reflecting that they play gay. Then they make their big bank roll on gay stories.

So, I think it is one thing to take a project once. I was just in the Alan Ball movie Uncle Frank, and the lead character, Frank, is played by Paul Bettany, who is a straight man. This is his first time playing a gay role, as far as I know, and we had a long conversation at the premiere about his father and his relationship to the really close gay men in his life, and he wanted to be able to tell that story and give it a voice because it was very personal to him.

Of course, I think he should be able to play the role, and I think he does it beautifully. We get into trouble when Hollywood starts assigning people things. As a gay actor, if I am assigned only gay roles, then that really cuts me off from opportunity. So, I think it is complicated. I don’t think there is a clean-cut answer. Take a role, and then maybe next time you get presented with an opportunity to play another gay role, think about why you want to take that role. Is it for money, just for a job to keep working? Think about it; I’ve done that. I told that story that was important to me. Maybe I should allow more space for other people to tell their story.

Have you always had a passion for acting?
Yes, forever. I loved going to the theatre when I was a child; my mom would always take us to see plays and musicals. As long as I can remember, I was involved in community theatre, then some professional theatre as a kid in Philly. Then I studied acting in college, and it was something that I thought I would pursue. The whole TV and film element of it came a little bit later.

You are very well-known for your work in theatre, especially in Chicago. Are you hoping to branch out more into TV and film?
Yes! My dream would be able to get to do things that really inspire me. Whether that is a play, a movie, an Indie film, a short film, or a TV episodic—I want to do things that excite me and that I feel passionate about. I love all the forms. I love being on stage; there is nothing like it, and I love being on set. There are different kinds of collaborations, and as an artist and actor, they both fuel me in different ways.

What about writing and directing? Do you have any interest in pursuing that?
I write things for myself, and I have written a feature and a short. It is a very vulnerable thing to do when you have been the one trained to interpret text and not to actually create your own voice. I am hesitant to say that is something I want to do at the moment because I don’t think I have cracked it yet for myself. It is something I am going to keep working on.

You mentioned earlier about the film Uncle Frank, and that is scheduled to be released next week. Can you tell us a bit more about the film?
It is written and directed by Alan Ball, and I have looked up to Alan for a really long time. Six Feet Under is one of my favorite television shows of all time, and I loved American Beauty, it was one of my favorite movies in high school. I have a small part. Paul Bettany plays Frank, and I play him in flashbacks when he was 18. He is sort of reckoning some of his childhood trauma and reliving it as he returned home for his father’s funeral. There are moments of levity and so many moments of heartbreak, and I just think it is going to be a really beautiful movie for people to watch with their families on Thanksgiving. I am very excited.We can also see you in an upcoming episode of Chicago P.D.?
Yes, that is what I am shooting right now. I think that will also come out in November.

What more do you hope to accomplish as an actor?
I feel like I am still in that phase where I am still starting out. I am young; I audition as much as I can, and I just want to keep working and keep taking things that get presented to me. I want to keep working with as many people as I can and take projects that are micro-budget short films that I love and am passionate about, and also things that could provide me some sort of agency in the industry.

To stay up-to-date with Doman, follow him on Instagram, or visit his official website. Equal is now streaming on HBO Max.  

Photos Courtesy of Luke Fontana and HBO Max