Exclusive: Aaron Dominguez Reflects On Playing Oscar And Working With Selena Gomez On "Only Murders In The Building"
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*Spoilers for Only Murders In The Building below!*
Hulu's new murder mystery comedy series, Only Murders In The Building, has brought on a lot of firsts. From being Selena Gomez's first series-regular role since her Disney days to the highest premiere day tune-in for any comedy series in Hulu's history, Only Murders is set for success. But it doesn't stop there — the show also gave rising star Aaron Dominguez his big break as Oscar, a childhood friend of true crime fan Mabel and the murdered victim, Tim Kono.
Only Murders follows three true crime-obsessed neighbors who suspect murder when someone dies in their exclusive Upper West Side apartment building, The Arconia. Mabel, Charles, and Oliver put their true crime knowledge to the test as they investigate the truth... all while recording a podcast to document the case. Of course, there are twists and turns along the way because... why wouldn't there be?
Part of those turns is a mystery within the murder mystery (yep, you read that right). Ever since episode 1 aired on Hulu, both fans and characters on the show have been trying to figure out the identity of Tie Die Guy. It turned out to be Oscar, Mabel's close friend and one of the Hardy Boys at the Arconia.
If you're anything like me and want to know everything you could possibly find out about the man behind Oscar, Aaron Dominguez, you've come to the right place. Aaron sat down for an exclusive interview with Seventeen to spill set secrets and talk all things Only Murders In The Building, including what it's like to work with Selena Gomez.
Seventeen: What was it like working with legends like Steve Martin and Martin Short? Are there any lessons you took away from your experience working on the show?
Aaron Dominguez: It's still hard for me to wrap my head around it at times. It's taken us wrapping the show and having time away from them for me to fully take a grasp on what I experienced, 'cause even from the beginning, I couldn't believe all of it. So, I mean, it was a huge blessing to work alongside these comedic legends, the icons that they are. The takeaway was for me to just always show up to set ready to work alongside people like that, people that have been doing this for a long time.
Steve and Martin have done this for over 40 years, Selena's been doing it since she was a child. I always just tried to be a sponge as much as I could when I got to set. I've worked for a while now, too, and done some other stuff, but when it came to them, I wanted to be as green as possible. That way I can learn the most from all of them.
17: What's the culture like on set? Are there any memorable moments or traditions that stand out to you?
AD: Every day was kind of a new wonderful experience, especially being with people that are so eccentric, alive, and joyful like Steve, Martin, and Selena. One of my favorite memories is singing Frank Sinatra songs with Martin Short. Every day that we got to be on set together, there was always something happening. Whether it was dancing or getting to know Selena and singing with her. There were times where it felt like a little bit like a musical 'cause Steve Martin also plays the banjo. So everyone's like, musically in tune on the show and we would all break out, sing certain songs, and just have a great time.
17: What drew you to Oscar and what do you hope people take away from his story?
AD: Story-wise, you don't see much of Oscar up until the midway point of the season. So, what drew me ultimately to the character, was how you only see him through these little spurts and flashbacks, but then throughout the journey of the story, you kind of see how he plays a pivotal part. Also, how he's so involved in the story and ultimately to what ends up happening — which I can't say, because of spoilers — but Oscar's journey is a tough one. It was all those things that drew me to him and that made the character unique in a way.
17: Oscar and Mabel are childhood friends who may end up exploring a romantic relationship as the show pans out. What was it like working with Selena Gomez and building the relationship of these characters?
AD: It was very simple because she approached it in the way of like, "You know, the easiest way for this to translate on camera is if we just start hanging out and getting to know one another." Building that friendship off-camera was pivotal; I got to know her and fully come into the work side of it while being in tune with the personal side as well. It was definitely a beautiful journey to share alongside her, 'cause Selena's very sweet and welcoming. There was nothing that ever made the process difficult, everything was wonderful.
17: Are there any favorite scenes you’ve shot together?
I want to say episode 5 because we don't see Oscar for a while and then he comes back around. It was definitely fun playing all those different little levels of nuances and intricacies of not having seen someone for a long time with her, like seeing how we could try stuff within cuts to see how it would play differently. We'd see if I could joke or throw an ad-lib in there to get different energy. I'd say episode 5 because it's the beginning of Oscar and Mabel's story again as friends.
17: Oscar was imprisoned for 10 years for something he didn't do. Once he reunites with Mabel, he just wants to do normal things, like eat ice cream. Instead, he's thrown into an entire murder investigation about one of his best friends. How did you prepare for this role and tap into the emotions he must have been feeling?
AD: Oftentimes, I had to relate to it to a certain extent. It definitely doesn't mirror exactly what it was that Oscar went through, but we've all experienced loss to some point. He's a person that experienced multiple types of loss. He lost his girlfriend and then he ends up going away for a while, so he loses a sense of his life as well. When he comes back, he's trying to rebuild that and then as he's out, he gets caught up in the investigation of it all, because he wants to expand upon that relationship with Mabel, Selena's character.
I had to come at it from a very human level. It was very easy to kind of mesh with the cast well enough to play that storyline out. I just take it day by day. There were definitely times where it was a little challenging because you're telling the story over a span of the past and the present. And then the comedy of it all was also new for me.
17: Upon watching the first season, you can tell that the show was intricately fleshed out — especially because there’s that murder mystery aspect to it that we all love. Did you know all the twists and turns from the beginning, or did the story unfold for you as filming progressed?
AD: We definitely found out along the way. As an actor, you have an idea as to where the writers could go with it, but then again, there are like 8,700 options where things could end up playing out differently. The last thing I wanted to do was get ahead of myself and start planning out how I could play this character in a specific way based on what could happen. It was definitely the type of story that you had to fully be present with every time because we got the scripts on a biweekly basis, so it's not like we had all the scripts. So, even seeing the way it finished out was all a huge surprise for us. I remember my hands being on my head through the virtual table read that we had and I was just like, "holy sh-t."
17: How does it feel seeing fans' reactions as the show progresses?
AD: First, I hope that people enjoy the show, but I definitely want to see, especially within my own friends and family, if anyone's also able to figure it out. You know, my family's also asked me a ton of times like, "Who's the murderer?" And I don't answer. If I do answer, it's not much. It's been fun to see how much of a fandom there is or how much of a big thing true crime really is, 'cause people want to solve everything and they want it in the here and now. This is definitely a show that you're gonna have to watch all the way through to see it play out. So, it's been interesting and it's definitely been a fun one. I've never been a part of something like this before.
Parts of this interview have been edited and condensed for clarity.
Want to know more about Only Murders In The Building, including exclusive cast interviews and fan theories? Stay tuned to Seventeen Watch Club every week once new episodes drop on Hulu, where subscriptions start at $5.99 per month.
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