Colman Domingo Says He Went to High School With Will Smith: "I Was a Nerd, He Was the Cool Kid"

Colman Domingo just dropped one of the best celebrity origin stories of the year. On the November 3 episode of the“Friends Keep Secrets”podcast, the 56-year-old actor revealed he attended Overbrook High School in West Philadelphia at the same time as Will Smith, 58. The two even shared gym and science classes, though Domingo says they were never friends.“He was the cool kid, and I was like a nerd,”Domingo recalled.“I was trying not to get beat up the whole time.”

The details make it even better. Smith was already a local star rapping with Jazzy Jeff at the Wynn Ballroom, while Domingo was close friends with Smith’s then-girlfriend, Gina Cooper, which meant he orbited the cool crowd without ever joining it. Their last real interaction happened years later when Domingo was waiting tables at El Torito and a successful Smith walked in, looked at him like he seemed somewhat familiar, and that was the end of it. The two stars have never shared a set or a red carpet since.

It’s a fun reminder that fame timelines are unpredictable. The cool kid became one of the biggest movie stars on the planet, and the nerd became an Oscar contender. Both won, just on different schedules. Which one were you in high school, the nerd or the cool kid?