It was pasta that led to Colman Domingo<\/a> and Marco Calvani becoming husbands \u2014 as the TV couple Danny and Claude on Netflix\u2019s The Four Seasons, that is.<\/p>\n Calvani and his real-life husband, the Brazilian actor Marco Pigossi, were hosting Domingo and his spouse Ra\u00fal at their Provincetown home for a meal, as Domingo recalls it. The visiting couple was impressed by how Calvani \u201cdoted on everyone\u2026exactly what Claude would have done,\u201d the Rustin actor says. <\/p>\n Unbeknownst to their hosts, Domingo had already been cast as Danny in The Four Seasons, a Netflix dramedy from creators Tina Fey, Lang Fisher, and Tracey Wigfield centered on three couples in a tight-knit friend group \u2014 and the drama that unfolds after one of the friends, Nick (Steve Carell) decides to leave his wife Anne (Kerry Kenney-Silver) for a younger woman, Ginny (Erika Henningsen). The production, which also stars Fey and Will Forte as the couple Kate and Jack, was still searching for its Claude at the time.<\/p>\n Domingo and Calvani had become friends on the film festival circuit while promoting their 2024 productions Sing Sing and High Tide, respectively. (Sing Sing earned Domingo an Oscar nod for his portrayal of a prison inmate who joins a theater group; High Tide, a critically acclaimed gay romantic drama directed by Calvani, stars Pigossi as an undocumented immigrant who finds romance in P-town.) Calvani was working primarily as a writer and director during this dinner date; although he has a theater background, he hadn\u2019t acted in over a decade.<\/p>\n Regardless, Domingo, inspired by his host\u2019s charm, asked Calvani if he would be open to auditioning via self-tape for an unnamed project. Calvani, who is from a small town outside Florence, first imagined it was a \u201clasagna, pizza, ciao\u201d part for a one-note Italian character. However, when he received the casting email about The Four Seasons, \u201cI froze \u2014 literally, I was like, what? This is not for me. It felt too big to be true and to be mine,\u201d he recounts. He submitted the tape anyway.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen Colman Domingo calls, it\u2019s hard to say no,\u201d he laughs.<\/p>\n The casting of Claude was important to Domingo. The queer couple\u2019s story had a huge potential platform through Netflix and the A-listers involved in The Four Seasons. He knew that chemistry and genuine affection for his onscreen partner would be key. Yet still, in his first in-person meeting with Fey in New York City to discuss the project, the Mean Girls<\/a> creator surprised Domingo when she told him that the top candidate for Claude was \u201cyour friend Marco.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cI said, \u2018Are you kidding me?\u2019 Because I literally had never seen him act. I just had a feeling,\u201d Domingo says. \u201cAnd then she showed me his tape, and it was so beautiful and nuanced, and there was an innocence to it. And it was Marco\u2019s heart.\u201d In that meeting, Domingo vouched for Calvani \u2014 and Fey and Netflix signed on to the casting. The rest is Four Seasons history.<\/p>\n In their shared video chat with Out, Calvani grows emotional as Domingo recalls his side of this casting story, sparking \u201ca giant journey of gratitude,\u201d Calvani says. The Four Seasons is \u201cthe gift that keeps on giving. Thank you, Colman.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd thank you, Marco, for saying yes,\u201d Domingo replies.<\/p>\n Season 1 of The Four Seasons was a hit for Netflix. Within four days of its release, the show, an adaptation of the 1981 Alan Alda film of the same name, had racked up 11.9 million views \u2014 and over 53 million in under two weeks. Critically, the show garnered a GLAAD Media Award nomination, an Emmy nod for Domingo, and a Breakthrough Actor Award for Calvani at SeriesFest, a nonprofit that celebrates international TV. <\/p>\n The Four Seasons is notable for its LGBTQ<\/a>+ representation in the media landscape, as Danny and Claude are \u201cnot a trope of something we\u2019ve seen as a gay couple\u201d \u2014 particularly one that that navigates mostly straight spaces and whose story is given equal footing (warts and all) with different-sex couples, Domingo notes. (The show spotlights a trip taken by the group during each earthly season, which lets the viewers see the impact of time on these characters and their relationships.)<\/p>\n While Danny and Claude do run into queer-specific scenarios \u2014 for example, picking up a hot lumberjack on Grindr while they\u2019re visiting Vassar College, where this friend circle first formed, in season 1 \u2014 \u201cthe majority of issues they wrestle with literally has nothing to do with being queer,\u201d says Domingo, adding, \u201cI like the idea that sometimes, [queer couples] are quite ordinary.\u201d<\/p>\n Health problems, growing older, making a long-term relationship work \u2014 these are issues Danny and Claude deal with that are also universal to the human experience. Danny is an architect with an impeccable sense of style. But the character is also dealing with a heart problem, and, relatably, the discovery of cigarettes in his bag sends Claude into an emotional tailspin. <\/p>\n Viewers get it. Calvani recalls how a man in his 40s, just a few days before this March interview, stopped him to tell him that Danny and Claude showed him \u201chow he wants to be loved in life and what kind of relationship he\u2019s actually looking for.\u201d In a twist, the man added, \u201cAnd I\u2019m not even gay!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe saw the universality of it. And\u2026I felt immediately like the joy of being able to give this gift to others, no matter what their sexual orientation is,\u201d says Calvani. He credits the showrunners and, in particular, \u201cTina\u2019s mind and heart\u201d for creating representation that resonates.<\/p>\n Additionally, The Four Seasons demonstrates how issues like being open are not exclusive to queer couples; Ginny\u2019s preference for nonmonogamy is also a topic her partner Nick wrestled with. And in season 2, as Ginny (spoiler) deals with her pregnancy with Nick\u2019s child after his surprise death, a mourning Danny and Claude also question whether they too might be ready to bring new life into the world.<\/p>\n On May 28, when season 2 premieres, Calvani shares that it will be \u201cquite a treat for the audience\u201d to see these characters grapple with \u201cthe next chapter of their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey start asking themselves other kind of questions, including, what does it mean to be a family for us? Do we need to extend it, or are we good with ourselves? Do we want to die the way we are? Keep renovating kitchens? I think that\u2019s, again, not just queer, it\u2019s really universal, but I\u2019m glad that we are the ones who are asking those questions in this show,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n In addition to the writing, the clothes tell a story. (Domingo cites to RuPaul\u2019s famous quote, \u201cWe\u2019re all born naked, and the rest is drag.\u201d) On The Four Seasons, Domingo has \u201cfull on\u201d input into what his character wears and often consults with the show\u2019s costume designer, Tina Nigro (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Girls5Eva). Since Danny is an architect, Domingo conveyed to Nigro that \u201che\u2019s got to be a citizen of the world,\u201d equally at ease in Milan, Austin, and Los Angeles. And he always has a nice hat. Expect him to lean into his \u201cdaddy side\u201d in season 2, perhaps with some Carhartt items to chime with his new identity.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Claude in season 1 is \u201cflamboyant in colors and a lot of accessories\u201d as a way \u201cto speak louder\u201d within an established circle that he fears might occasionally overlook him \u2014 particularly as an immigrant who joined this East Coast semi-elitist group through marriage, Calvani attests. In season 2, \u201cI think he will peel away all these layers and colors\u201d as he asserts himself more and becomes less \u201cchaotic and confused,\u201d Calvani says.<\/p>\n This sartorial journey resonates with Domingo, who says he and his husband recently went through their clothes and got rid of 400 articles. \u201cAt some point when you know yourself\u2026you just distill it down to the bare essentials,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Like their characters, Domingo and Calvani are in long-term relationships, and they understand what love can bring to a life. \u201cI think you always need someone to call home,\u201d Domingo says of his partner Ra\u00fal, who he first met in 2005 through a Craigslist Missed Connections ad. He dismisses that notion of \u201cOh, I got to focus on my career, I don\u2019t have time for relationships,\u201d particularly when that work is within the fickle entertainment industry. When \u201cyou\u2019re stepping out on a limb, you need that support from platonic and romantic relationships,\u201d he attests.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was extremely, extremely helpful to have my husband by my side,\u201d says Calvani, noting how, as a fellow actor, Pigossi (Tidelands, Gen V) understands the hectic nature of the filming and promotion of a project. \u201cLife is really all about sharing, you know? We define ourselves and our realness\u2026in relationship with others.\u201d<\/p>\n Danny and Claude\u2019s story is important to the world right now, too. The past year has been a dizzying juxtaposition of cultural highs for the LGBTQ+ community \u2014 like the runaway success of Heated Rivalry, and People magazine naming an out actor, Jonathan Bailey<\/a>, as the Sexiest Man Alive \u2014 and an astonishing anti-LGBTQ+ political backlash to hard-won gains. (In 2025, more than 600 anti-transgender bills were filed in U.S. states, reports the American Civil Liberties Unition, the most in history.)<\/p>\n It can be overwhelming to try to defeat the forces of bigotry in one fell swoop. Domingo stresses that, amid these daunting challenges, it\u2019s important to focus \u201con the micro\u201d of actions one can influence in one\u2019s own orbit, and \u201cat some point this ripple will become a wave,\u201d particularly with collective action.<\/p>\n \u201cI understand history very well, and [I know that] that these times are hard times, but we\u2019ve always lived through hard times,\u201d the 56-year-old actor says. \u201c\u2026You got to do your part during your generation in whatever way it is. But you have to take part. You cannot be passive\u2026. You can make change wherever you are, and you can feel powerful doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n For Calvani, playing Claude is \u201cmy small giant act of resistance right now,\u201d in the face of preachers and politicians who would use their platforms against LGBTQ+ people. \u201cI\u2019m happy to be gay, and I\u2019m happy to have the opportunity to be really gay publicly,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Suddenly being thrust into the spotlight as a gay public figure isn\u2019t always easy, however. The shift forced Calvani to wrestle with personal demons. \u201cI had to deal with my internalized homophobia,\u201d he admits. Born in 1980, the Italian grew up in \u201ca time where being gay meant being dead\u201d and \u201cthere was no representation at all,\u201d he recalls, save for the specter of the AIDS crisis. While playing Claude presented an opportunity to positively influence the queer media landscape, it also dredged up old insecurities, like, \u201cnobody\u2019s going to offer me a straight man role,\u201d he says, a worry he had shared previously with Domingo.<\/p>\n Domingo, of course, has an enviable acting career with a diversity of roles. This year alone, he\u2019s appearing in major movie tent poles like Michael and Disclosure Day, in addition to his TV roles in The Four Seasons and the third season of Euphoria. (He won an Emmy for his performance as Ali Muhammad, the Narcotics Anonymous sponsor of Zendaya\u2019s Rue, in 2022.) He\u2019s received two Oscar nominations (Sing Sing, Rustin) and two Tony nods (The Scottsboro Boys, Fat Ham). He also hosted Saturday Night Live for the first time in April. <\/p>\n From the onset, Domingo was determined not to live in the closet and \u201cfelt like being queer is just a part of me. It\u2019s not everything about me.\u201d He wanted to chart a course where there were no restrictions on the characters he could portray.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that we have the opportunity to show people that you can define your career and who you are in spaces, and it doesn\u2019t have to be limited. You only put limits on yourself,\u201d he says, adding, \u201cI am, I feel, my own creation.\u201d<\/p>\n As a thriving actor, does Domingo, particularly as a Black queer artist in an industry that still struggles with representation of marginalized people, ever pinch himself about the opportunities he has? \u201cI don\u2019t pinch myself because I know the work that it\u2019s taken to get here,\u201d he asserts, noting that, as a role model, he encourages students to create opportunities when none seemingly exist. \u201cThe ride was not easy, and it was precarious, and a lot of this I built out of necessity.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just extraordinarily grateful that I\u2019m still here and that I have even more access,\u201d he adds. \u201cAnd now people are asking me, what do I want to do? And I always go back to my fundamentals. I want to do the things that move me, that I care about, if it\u2019s what I can put out into the world as an artist.\u201d<\/p>\n Hearing Domingo stirs something in Calvani, who also appeared in a theatrical film this year, You, Me & Tuscany. \u201cPart of me was resisting being an actor and being Claude and being also in a giant show like this one was because I had put limits on my own career, on the vision I have for myself,\u201d he says. \u201cIt was probably a safer one, or, now, it feels like a much smaller one, right? I never had this opportunity to discuss my life and my approach to life and the work like I am having right now.\u201d<\/p>\n The conversation turns to Calvani\u2019s initial reaction when asked to audition for The Four Seasons. \u201cI remember calling Colman that day [and] was like, \u2018I just want to write\u2026. I\u2019m scared.\u2019 And he told me, \u2018Well honey, you may have all the dreams and fantasies about you and your career and you need to have them, but sometimes life has bigger plans for you, and you just need to be open for that.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Domingo says, \u201cI\u2019m happy that Marco exists now in the zeitgeist, that people know him in his fullness. It\u2019s really beautiful to see.\u201d <\/p>\n Domingo, who cochaired the 2025 Met Gala<\/a>, themed \u201cSuperfine: Tailoring Black Style,\u201d is acutely aware of the power of not just representation, but also presentation to change culture. \u201cI know that images have an impact,\u201d he says. Sartorially, his red carpet looks always make an impression. And when a British GQ reporter asked him who the best-dressed man of 2025 was, he (playfully, but not untruthfully) named himself. <\/p>\n \u201cI know the image of Marco and I on a cover says a lot, whether people want to unpack that or not,\u201d he says. \u201cI think it\u2019s not often that we see a 56-year-old man and a 40-something-year-old man\u2026[who portray] a queer couple on the cover of a magazine.\u2026 I know that that image could be very impactful to people at large and around the world, to see this image of friendship, brotherhood, people who are very comfortable with themselves and comfortable with playing with the intimacy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes, you only get one chance\u2026to tell a story,\u201d he adds. \u201cAnd so, it\u2019s very meaningful to me. I don\u2019t take anything lightly, especially when it comes to marketing and imagery. Because I know it can have a huge impact on our culture.\u201d<\/p>\n Calvani also knows the power an image, a cover, a story can wield. <\/p>\n \u201cThere are children out there who are probably terrified right now, who live in isolated areas with plenty of homophobic people around them, but still there\u2019s Netflix on their TVs,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd if they see us loving, holding hands, being confident in our queerness, no matter how it looks\u2026they [will] know that one day, they can be happy. And they will start feeling alive again and probably hopeful. I truly feel that this is real, and if we have that one chance, it better be right. That might be the opportunity that that child has to look at themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n Season 2 of Netflix\u2019s The Four Seasons premieres May 28.<\/p>\n This article is part of Out\u2019s May-June 2026 print issue, which hits newsstands May 26. <\/strong>Support queer media and subscribe<\/strong><\/u><\/a> \u2014 or download the issue starting May 14 through Apple News+, Zinio, Nook, or PressReader.<\/strong><\/p>\n talent <\/strong>COLMAN DOMINGO <\/strong>@kingofbingo<\/a> MARCO CALVANI <\/strong>@mcalvani<\/a>![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.out.com\/media-library\/the-four-seasons-costars-colman-domingo-and-marco-calvani.jpg?id=66700648&width=980\")
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photographer DAVID URBANKE <\/strong>@davidurbanke<\/a>
photo assistant, lighting tech SEQUOYAH WILDWYN-DECHTER <\/strong>@sequoyah.nyc<\/a>
photo second assistant UCHE ADUAKA <\/strong>@uchennaaduaka_<\/a>
creative director MIKEY LOMBARDO <\/strong>@djmikeypop<\/a>
stylist CHARLIE WARD<\/strong> @charliewardstyles<\/a>charliewardstyles<\/a>
stylist assistant THEO BANZON <\/strong>@theobot<\/a>theobot<\/a>
colman\u2019s grooming JESSICA SMALLS <\/strong>@jessicasmalls<\/a>
marco\u2019s grooming JENNIFER BRENT <\/strong>@jennieredd<\/a>jennieredd<\/a>
videographer STUART SOX <\/strong>@sox_andthecity<\/a>sox_andthecity<\/a>
location GO STUDIOS PENTHOUSE + ROOFTOP <\/strong>@go.studios<\/a>go.studios<\/a> gostudios.nyc<\/a><\/p>\nStep behind the scenes with Colman Domingo and Marco Calvani.<\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n