Catching Up with Dominic Santana from "All Eyes on Me"

Catching Up with Dominic Santana from "All Eyes on Me"
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“Being a boss is what I do.” -Dominic Santana

“Being a boss is what I do.” -Dominic Santana

I recently had the pleasure of chatting it up with Dominic Santana, the man who played one of the most controversial characters in music, Suge Knight, in the Tupac Shakur biopic, “All Eyes on Me.” We talked about all he has done in the industry, all he is currently doing and all the greatness that is to come...check it out....

Was playing Suge Knight in “All Eyez On Me” your first major role?

Yes, it was the first major role I played that had such a large impact. I have an agent and when he sent me the role, I knew it was mine.

How did you get into character or were you not acting?

Playing Suge was a combination of my own personality and his according to those I spoke with that knew him and worked closely with him. Suge and I are both Aries so the parts in the film where I had to be aggressive, it came natural. On top of that, I’m not a small man! I’m around 6’4 and I’ve been big all my life so I’m used to people perhaps thinking I’m intimidating until they actually talk with me. I don’t walk around looking crazy but just the fact that I’m not the average size is a “wow” factor for some.

Just like Suge, entrepreneurship is my lane. Being is boss is what I do. Being the head or the a company and having the same kind of ‘poverty to prosperity’ background as he had connected me more to getting into the role.

What do you do outside of acting?

Well, I previously owned two companies and when this role came up, I ended up having to sell my stakes in them. Things were crazy and I had to make the choice whether to stay where I was in business or to take it to another level with the film industry.

I’ve been writing, producing and had appearances on tv series so now I’m doing a lot more of that.

Did you receive any negative backlash from the film?

Just like when any new biopic comes out, the whole world becomes professional critics but I was fortunate enough to not get any of that my way. With different celebrities speaking out against it, I received tons of props for my portrayal of Suge.

Has there ever been a time where you doubted your abilities as an actor?

No, not at all. And I don’t say that from a place of arrogance. I’m just confident. When you are auditioning for a role, you are scrutinized from head to toe. The Aries in my rises up and confidence takes over. I go into every audition saying “This is MY job!” Sometimes I get the role, and sometimes I don’t; but at the end of the day, I know I gave it my all.

For example, for “All Eyez on Me,” I auditioned four times for the role. And one time I almost didn’t go because my businesses had me occupied. My agent called and said “It’s between you and one other guy,” and once he said that, I knew what I had to do. I knew that there was nobody else who could play the part like I could.

You have to keep a winning attitude in this industry or for life in general. When doubt creeps in it can mess up everything you have going for yourself if you let it.

As an actor, what type of affect does role playing have on you?

The key word in actor is “act.” I have to pull different feelings and emotions from somewhere. No one has really highlighted what we as actors go through psychologically and physically. We have to put ourselves in different head spaces to pull out our emotions. Playing different characters over years of time isn’t as easy as we make it seem. I know for sure on the set of “All Eyez On Me,” I had to tell myself “This isn’t real!” Having to do heavy scenes over and over and tap into hard and heavy emotions is taxing. But worth it. It’s all a psychological game and you have to have a strong mind to master it.

What can we expect to see from you moving forward?

I’m working on a major film that’s supposed to be released next year. I’m working on a series right now that I want to get picked up by a network as well.

Later on this year, I’ll be taking the trip of my dreams. I’ll be going to Africa with an organization by the name of “Zoe Helps” to connect with the people there. And we are going to make it the experience a documentary to highlight the good the organization is doing plus to capture the amazingness that is Kenya. Things are moving over here, so you’ll definitely be seeing me.

Keep up with Dominic on Instagram at: @officialdomsantana

To find out more about the ZOE organization, visit: www.zoehelps.org.

(All pictures courtesy of Dominic Santana.)

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