WOMEN WE LOVE: Dominique Fishback

You have no doubt seen Dominique Fishback's recent chilling portrayal of Dre, the disturbed fan who seeks revenge on those who bullied her favorite artist online in the new Amazon Prime series "Swarm". However, the multitalented Fishback had already impressed audiences with her skills as an actress, writer, and poet long before her appearance on the small screen.

Dominique Fishback, a New York City native, discovered her passion for acting at a young age. At just 10 years old, she knew that acting was the path she wanted to pursue. However, her journey to becoming an actress was not an easy one. While completing her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and minor in Arts and Entertainment Management at Pace University in 2013, Fishback encountered significant financial obstacles. In an effort to raise funds to complete her degree, she turned to crowdfunding and launched the "A Poem to stay in College" campaign.

Through her campaign, Fishback shed light on the difficulties low-income individuals face when trying to receive a proper education. She shared her personal struggles, including her experience with financial aid repeatedly denying her requests for assistance, leaving her with no other option but to take out a loan that the bank always denied. Fishback wrote, "I think the saddest thing is when a person, especially from 'the hood' cries so hard, not because of the living circumstances, or the police brutality, or violence they face daily but because they have been told they do not have enough money to get their college degree."

During her acting career, Fishback has often referenced black-themed subjects in her work. For example, in 2014, she debuted the one-woman play called Subverted, originally written by her during her honors thesis, where she played more than 20 characters. The show tells the story of “the destruction of Black identity as seen through the eyes of Eden, an 18-year-old girl living in an inner city in the USA… Through the performance, Eden discovers that the promise of ‘equal opportunity’ still, to this day, does not exist. She questions why the people she loves the most are subverted by an unrelenting history that they did not live through yet inherited.” In 2021, it was announced that Fishback's play would be adapted for the screen.  Fishback teamed up with actor and singer Jamie Foxx, with whom she worked on the 2020 Netflix original movie Project Power as Robin Reilly, a young, street-smart dealer with dreams of becoming a rap artist. The play had already garnered recognition, having been nominated for a 2015 Innovative Theater Award for Outstanding Solo Performance.

Dominique's first major acting role was portraying the single mother Billie Rowan in the HBO mini-series "Show Me a Hero" alongside Oscar Isaac, Winona Ryder, and Alfred Molina. The series was based on the non-fiction book by former New York Times writer Lisa Belkin about Yonkers mayor Nick Wasicsko. Fishback's significant acting credits also include playing the young version of Gloria Carter, Jay-Z's mother, in his 2017 music video for "Smile", as well as portraying Kenya, Starr's (Amandla Stenberg) best friend in the movie The Hate U Give. She also received praise for her performance as Donna "Darlene" Pickett, a series regular in the 1970s HBO drama "The Deuce". The New Yorkerwrote, "(But) the stealth standout is Dominique Fishback, as Darlene, a short, smiley, brown-skinned country girl, who is introduced as a naïf, a soft touch who tears up at old movies. Over eight episodes, Fishback turns this heart-of-gold stereotype into something original, with a spiky blend of weariness and savvy that's more than mere victimhood. Even at the bottom of the ladder, there's someone below you."

In 2021, Fishback portrayed Lilian “Lil” Parker for the Amazon Prime show "Modern Love". In the same year, she also starred in the movie Judas and the Black Messiah as Akua Njeri (who was known as Deborah Johnson), an American writer, activist, former member of the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party, and the partner of Fred Hampton (portrayed by Daniel Kaluuya), who was the chairman of the Illinois Chapter. The film was nominated for Best Picture in the 93rd Academy Awards and granted her the Best Supporting Actress Award in both the Black Reel Awards and the African-American Film Critics Association Awards, as well as a BAFTA nomination for the same category. 

In her most recent acting role, Fishback plays Andrea “Dre” Greene, an obsessive fan of the fictional pop singer Ni'jah, whose obsession takes a dark turn after an unfortunate incident in her life, in Donald Glover’s Amazon Prime series "Swarm". The series has been successful, and Fishback’s performance has received praise for her ability to deliver a creepy performance. Additionally, there have been many easter eggs found by viewers referencing real-life pop icon Beyoncé. In a recent interview with Collider, Fishback revealed that she initially auditioned for the role of Marissa, Dre’s sister, but insisted on playing Dre instead. “He (Glover) was like, ‘Well, why do you want that part?’ And I said, ‘Well, as an actor, I never want to catch up to myself’.” She explained, “I don't even want to know what I'm gonna do next. I think about myself as a child and watching TV and saying, ‘I want to be a versatile actor, and what does that mean?’ And I have to go to the inner child who wanted to be an actor, who watched Monster with Charlize Theron, who watched Boys Don't Cry with Hilary Swank, or watched Heath Ledger as The Joker, or whatever it is, and wanting to do character work. And finally being able to get the opportunity to do that was exciting, and it was scary. It was not an easy thing for me to do. Once I got it I was like, ‘Oh man, what did I do? I don't even know the rest of the series. What am I gonna do?’ And I had to journal myself and identify points that were scary to me, and why. Is it a real fear to me or is it a social idea or social fear that I'm putting on? Like, what is somebody else gonna perceive? What are they gonna think about me? Those type of questions. And if I do that, then essentially I'm allowing myself to get imprisoned by my own artistry and I could not risk the chance to do that, so I had to risk in another way.”

As a rising star in the entertainment industry, Dominique Fishback has already achieved incredible success in her career. Her journey to fame is unique and inspiring, serving as a reminder to never give up on your dreams, even in the face of adversity. Her ability to find her own voice in an industry that has only recently started to embrace diversity is a testament to her talent and perseverance. With a starring role in the highly anticipated film Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, set for release on June 8, Fishback's future looks bright. While the plot of the film remains unknown, fans are eagerly anticipating her performance as Elena. Given her impressive track record, we can expect to see Fishback in many more important and impactful TV shows and movies in the years to come.