Now more than ever, Colman Domingo is looking forward to what Sam Levinson has in store for Ali in season three of Euphoria.
The second season of the HBO series saw Ali and Rue (Emmy nominee Zendaya) come to blows over her addiction, before ultimately making up. It was a complex plot line that emphasized how addiction recovery isn't linear, and highlighted Ali's own growth as a person. But now, Colman, who is nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for the 2022 Emmys, hopes upcoming episodes will show Ali as someone who is more than just Rue's sponsor.
"I like the idea of seeing Ali in his own world in a way and seeing what he's like when he's not in relation to Rue and the family," he explained to E! News. "We started to take him out of these other spaces, like the NA [narcotics anonymous] meetings, which is great."
But Colman is still yearning to know more about the troubled mentor, saying, "I want to see what happens when he's dating. What's his work life like?"
Colman could even see Rue's mom Leslie, played by Nika King, striking up a romance with Ali. "Rue's mom is sort of lacking that male figure in her life who can support her," he said. "That's the same for Ali. They both have similar things going on. They both have two daughters. He's estranged from his daughters and his wife, and I think Ali has been doing some serious work."
Although Colman and Nika were unsure if Sam was setting the characters up in the episode where the family has dinner, they played into this chemistry. "We danced around it, even if it's not written on the page," he said. "[Nika] is such a beautiful woman and I think Ali would take note of that, of who this woman is. And he has some language saying how he really really admires how strong she is and what she's been doing."
He said of their conversation, "I think there's something sexy about that."
While this romance is a possibility for season three, Colman warned that if anything more were to happen between them, "That steps into some really dangerous territory, because he is Rue's sponsor."
Colman will find out what Sam has planned when season three begins filming. For now, the actor is staying booked and busy, with upcoming roles in The Color Purple and Netflix's Rustin. There's also the animated short film New Moon, which he describes as a "love letter" to Black mothers and sons.
Read the complete list of 2022 Emmy nominees here!