Colman Domingo was at high school with Will Smith, but they ran in different circles.
Colman Domingo was the “nerd” to Will Smith’s “cool kid” in high school.
The 56-year-old actor has revealed he attended Overbrook High School in Philadelphia at the same time as his fellow Hollywood star, who was one year above him.
Appearing on the Friends Keep Secrets podcast, he said: “West Philly, born and raised. I went to high school with Will… We had gym class and science class together.”
However, the Disclosure Day star insisted he “wasn’t cool” at the time, and the pair were ran in different circles.
He added: “We were never friends. He was the cool kid and I was the nerd. I was trying not to get beat up the whole time.”
Colman described Will as “the most popular kid in high school”, pointing out that he was “a local rapper with Jazzy Jeff”, and so “all the cool kids went to see them”.
He quipped: “I didn’t go, I wasn’t a cool kid. I heard about it.”
Despite different high school experiences, they have both become famous in Hollywood, although they haven’t crossed paths much.
Colman revealed: “The weirdest thing is throughout our careers now, I’ve never run into him.
“[It’s] really rare and weird, ‘cause we work with the same people.”
The pair did cross paths once before, when Colman was working as a waiter at a Philly restaurant, after Will had become “very successful” in music and acting.
The Men In Black star didn’t recognise his former classmate at first, but his memory was jogged and the pair “hugged”.
Colman added: “I’m sure we’ll see each other at some point. And there’ll be warmth and a shared history from Philadelphia.”
Earlier this year, Colman described Will as a “cool kid” who was always “very friendly” at school.
He told Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast: “You know, he was a cool kid. He was actually a cool kid; he was actually very friendly.
“Everybody really liked him. And he performed at the Wynn Ballroom in Philadelphia — he and Jazzy Jeff.”
However, Colman was a “bona fide nerd” until he forced himself to change things up.
He added: “I didn’t do any of that stuff. I didn’t turn into this until like, second year of college, because I decided I didn’t want to be like that anymore.
“I was very shy and bookish and awkward [in high school].”
Colman Domingo wasn’t friends with Will Smith at school and here’s why
