Starting With "Swarm," Here Are 5 TV And Movie Scenes That Prove Dominique Fishback Is A Masterclass

When I ask who's your favorite actress, you better say Dominique Fishback.

Now, when I pull up and ask who's your favorite actress, you better say Dominique Fishback.

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Jk. You won't get stung in this post, I promise! But if you're not buzzing about Dominique Fishback's performance in Swarm, then what are you doing? Her acting was so sharp that it inspired me to reflect on other TV and movie scenes where she left me speechless! Here are my absolute favorite Dominique Fishback scenes. Beware of spoilers.

1. Swarm (2023)

Prime Video

Uggggh, there's so many scenes to choose from in this limited series, but I think the scene where Dre (Dominique Fishback) is talking to Eva (Billie Eilish) should go down in horror movie history. 

Dre enters the therapy room, reluctant, but settles into a defensive posture on the floor with her legs crossed as Eva begins with asking her questions about Ni'Jah. As Dre lets her guard down, she eventually dives deep into the memories, and this is where Dominique Fishback's chilling performance goes from exceptional to legendary with her vocal inflections starting fast and rhythmic, with subtle rocking in between, to slow and creepy as Dre describes her past. She brilliantly tilts her head to the side, leaning in to tell us that the color of the milk in her memory is red, implying and confirming that she had hurt someone. Satisfaction fills her face; her expression is unapologetic. She looks beyond Eva, then her eyes roam into another dimension until tears finally fall and her body caves in. It was at that moment when I turned all of my lights on and made sure all of my doors were locked because I was scurrrrrred. Seriously, Dominique totally freaks me out in this scene!

Warrick Page /©Amazon / Courtesy Everett Collection

In Swarm, Fishback really nails the storytelling with her body language, like how she makes herself small around characters like Khalid (Damson Idris) and Hailey (Paris Jackson), showing her feelings of inferiority. And from that awkward liturgical stripper dance to her violent snack scenes where she throws her head back once the sweetness settles into her taste buds, even to those beautiful lovey dovey scenes with Rashida (Kiersey Clemons). Side note, justice for Rashida! I really thought they were endgame. 

By the end, Dre is finally existing outside of her own bubble, and she’s sharing her personal space with Rashida and touching her in almost every frame. It's adorbs and it tells the story of Dre's growth as a character and her long, murderous quest to be loved. This is a closeness she hasn't felt since Marissa (Chloe Bailey), and I think her body language communicates that throughout the series especially in the session with Eva.

2. The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey (2022)

Eli Joshua Ade /©Apple TV+ / Courtesy Everett Collection

In this scene, Robyn (Dominique Fishback) whispers to Ptolemy (Samuel L. Jackson), "I was happy when my mama died... I wished that she didn't but I hoped that she would pass just so that I could get out of that house... You're the first person I was ever close to that I didn't want to die," and then she whispers even more quietly, "I just don't want you to go away." Her delivery here is vulnerable. Her soft voice in this scene connects the dots for Robyn's complicated struggle with grief and all of its stages, including impending grief we often experience when a loved one is ill. We have a 91-year-old man fighting against time and wanting to retrieve his memory opposite a 17-year-old girl who'd rather forget her memories and troubled childhood.

With Dominique's swollen eyes, runny nose, slow, dramatic, unforced tears, this is the most quiet Robyn's soul has ever been. And we're seeing just how difficult her life is, the life that is beyond the script and not brought to film. It's the backstory we are only privy to because of Fishback's strong delivery in this quiet scene. We feel Robyn being pulled in every direction, but when she's pulled in closer by Ptolemy, I just about cry a river because these two needed each other to survive.

3. Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)

Warner Bros. Pictures

In this scene, it's the eyes for me! The camera is positioned in a close-up on Dominique Fishback's face. There is no dialogue and no action besides Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya) being murdered in the back of the frame, but even that is blurry and the focus is on Dominique. There is no movement in her body, no expression on the face, just the eyes, which to me was a masterful choice.

The assassination is literally happening behind her eyes, but when you look through her eyes, you see the realization of Fred Hampton dying a revolutionary death, the inevitable end that she once predicted while questioning her ability to mother their unborn child...alone. And then beyond her eyes, you see years of injustice and police brutality against the Black community, years of long suffering to come for the child she carries. This is something that has disturbed her since the start of their relationship. It makes her tick to the extent of stillness in this scene. To communicate such an impactful moment in history through the eyes of Deborah Johnson shows Dominique's mastery of her body because she is able to evoke emotion from the viewers on an emotionless face. And even though she's only giving us her eyes in this heartbreaking scene, she leaves us with so much to feel, connect to, and unpack.

4. Night Comes On (2018)

Samuel Goldwyn Films

This movie moves kind of slowly, then picks up the pace in one of the last scenes where Angel (Dominique Fishback) finally confronts her father, played by John Earl Jelks. I noticed the spacing between these two characters from the moment Angel arrived at his house; she was standing far away, on the curb, until he invited her in. This spatial distance remained in the kitchen, as well as in the living room, giving us a revelation of their relationship. At this point, we know that her father killed her mother, but we don't know if Angel will seek revenge or not. So it's the physical distance that helps propel that narrative when Angel is faced with making a choice that will change her life forever. And once again, Dominique Fishback nails it. 

She forces us to walk in Angel's shoes, we are released from jail with her, we are on the hunt for her father's address with her, we are navigating the system with her, and we are right there, facing her father with her. She's tightly gripping the gun and her body is slightly contracted, showing her lack of confidence. Her shakiness reveals her uncertainty. Will she avenge her mother and kill her father? It has now become our decision that we share with Angel because Dominique Fishback so uniquely immerses us into this story. Her decision will unlock our fate until suddenly the choice solely falls into the lap of the viewer, not Angel's. While watching this scene, I asked myself, will I pull the trigger? What an extraordinary performance, to allow your micro expressions to transfer the responsibility of the character to the one who is watching! An actor that can not only make you feel, but make you choose what happens in their scene is an actor worth celebrating. Well done, Dominique Fishback.

5. Project Power (2020)

Skip Bolen / © Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection

The duo I didn't know I needed, Jamie Foxx (Art) and Dominique Fishback (Robin) in Project Power. 

Many TV and movie fans don't realize Dominique is a grown woman, thanks to her believability on screen as she's played a teenager in many projects, including this one. She blends into any and every world. We believe her when she's a high schooler, a drug dealer, a sex worker, a historical figure, a serial killer and ultimate stan...the list goes on. But here I discovered her natural poetic side which not only provides another layer for the character, but for Dominique Fishback as well. Rhythm, flow, and swag cannot be taught, don't @ me. She brings each of these elements while she freestyles for Art who initially just kidnaps Robin for his own personal reasons. It's here, in the lab where their connection transitions from forced to organic, making the dynamic duo the perfect scene partners. That's another thing that cannot be taught. There are many great actors who do not have chemistry with their scene partners. Once again, don't @ me. So as Art and Robin's worlds collide, I applaud each actor's ability to gel together on screen even through intricate movements and action filled sequences. He feeds off of her, she feeds off of him. Art saves Robin, Robin saves Art. One continues to inspire the other and by the end, it's a bit of a tearjerker when they part ways in the last scene. 

Dominique Fishback's superhero-like performance in Project Power, her authenticity in movies like Judas and the Black Messiah, and her horrific delivery in Swarm will create many more opportunities in her acting career. I look forward to her taking over Hollywood and seeing what she slays next.

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