Colman Domingo never imagined he would be “a 100 of anything.”
“The fact that I’m one of the 100 most influential people in the world feels like I have a lot to live up to, and I want to because I don’t take that lightly,” Domingo toldPvNew on the red carpet at the Time100 Gala Thursday night. “The fact that someone in some committee believed that I’m impacting many people on this planet, I feel like now the work begins even more so. I know that I have to be even more mindful and thoughtful about how I create and the work that I do.”
Hosted by Taraji P. Henson at Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York City, the Time100 Gala celebrated this year’s most influential figures across film, sports, music and more, including Domingo, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, 21 Savage, Human Rights Campaign president Kelley Robinson, Fantasia Barrino and Henson herself.
Honoree Dev Patel admitted it was “so strange” to be named one of the world’s most influential people.
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“I have huge imposter syndrome, so I feel like I would be happy just holding some of the trays at the table, to be honest,” Patel told PvNew. “I feel like somehow I’ve won the golden ticket — ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ vibes.”
Following his experience starring in and directing “Monkey Man,” Patel said he wants to continue exploring the action genre as a filmmaker.
“I grew up watching Bruce Lee, Jet Li, Jackie [Chan], Donnie [Yen] and Sammo [Hung] — kind of like a heavy diet of action movies,” Patel said. “So for me, especially when you look at Korean cinema and the way they’ve pushed that kind of revenge genre into something that feels really substantial and meaningful and cinematic and artful… I look up to those masters, and I would love to keep doing it, if I’m lucky enough to.”
As is tradition at the Time100 Gala, several honorees raised a glass to individuals and causes that inspire them. Maya Rudolph praised Beyoncé and her album “Cowboy Carter,” while Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes gave a toast to “the greatness that is women’s sports.”
Michael J. Fox, who received this year’s Impact Award for his contributions to Parkinson’s research, wished his late father, William Nelson Fox, a happy birthday.
The retired actor noted that Saturday, April 27, would have been his father’s 95th birthday. “He was 61 when he died. I’m now 62.”
Although his father didn’t have a high school diploma, Fox recalled, he would say he had a “master’s from the ‘University of Adversity.'”
“I didn’t finish high school either, and I guess that makes me a legacy of the ‘University of Adversity,'” Fox quipped.
The evening concluded with a performance by Dua Lipa, another member of the Time’s class of 2024, who belted out “Training Season” and two more songs from her upcoming album “Radical Optimism.”
“Thank you, Time100,” she said on stage. “It is such an honor to spend the evening with you.”
The Time100 special airs Sunday, May 12, at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.
