Clarence Maclin Knows There’s a First Time for Everything

In the late morning of a gorgeous Sunday in January, Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin strolls out of an elevator in West Hollywood’s The London Hotel and into the Boxwood restaurant. Dressed in black—sweatshirt and sneakers from Gucci, plus a pair of crisp Nike pants—his eyes gleam amidst the white tile and plush leather couches. Tucked around his neck is a gold cable that’s anchored by a sun-shaped medallion emblazoned with a star and the number seven, a symbol of the Five Percent Nation. After briefly considering the menu, he chooses both the Sweet Greens and Acai Berry fresh squeezed juices. When they arrive, he appraises the vibrant green and purple liquids in front of him before declaring with a toothy smile, “This is what I need today to put into my body.”

In just a few hours, the 59-year-old will be on his way to the Golden Globes, marking his first time attending the awards show. “Everywhere that I’m going to now, I’ve never been,” Maclin says. “This is my first time everywhere.”

Maclin is one of the stars of the A24 release Sing Sing. The film follows a theatre production performed by a troupe of actors incarcerated at the titular prison. Maclin portrays a character partially based on himself who is also named Divine Eye. A newcomer to the group, he is at first counseled by the writer and actor John “Divine G” Whitfield (played by Colman Domingo) and later supports Divine G as he endures his own personal crisis. After arriving in theaters this past July, the film will be re-released on January 17.

Like most of the actors in Sing Sing, Maclin joined the Rehabilitation Through the Arts program when he was incarcerated and performed in multiple productions over the years. After his release from prison, he became an ambassador for RTA and a community advocate. “Many of us inside who were studying theatre and using it for the betterment of ourselves knew that this is an art form that’s used to heal,” he says. “We wanted to go outside and do a movie, but we thought that it would be more or less something that you take off the bucket list. We had no idea it would be received this way.”