Aaron Pierre on Playing a Green Lantern, Meeting Magic Johnson & Moving to Los Angeles from London

Aaron Pierre is having a major Hollywood moment and he’s just getting started.

The rising star recently opened up about meeting basketball legend Magic Johnson, making the leap from London to Los Angeles, landing his very first job at a hair salon, and stepping into the iconic role of John Stewart in HBO’s highly anticipated series Lanterns.

Pierre, who grew up in London, revealed that meeting Magic Johnson for the first time was a true honor. The actor has admired the NBA legend his entire life and said you don’t even have to be a basketball fan to be inspired by Magic’s story and accomplishments.

The conversation then turned to Pierre’s journey from South London to the United States. He moved to Los Angeles at just 24 years old with very little money, using nearly everything he had to purchase his plane ticket and rent a small Airbnb.

And there was one major problem: he assumed getting around Los Angeles would be similar to London.

It wasn’t.

Pierre didn’t rent a car and instead walked everywhere sometimes miles at a time because, as he jokingly explained, his Airbnb budget didn’t leave much room for transportation. While challenging, he considers those early days an important education that helped shape his journey.

His South London Roots

Pierre also spoke proudly about his family heritage. His mother is Jamaican, while his father has West African and Caribbean roots, including Sierra Leonean heritage.

Growing up in South London, Pierre spent time in Brixton, a neighborhood he describes as an important part of his upbringing. The conversation even sparked a comparison between Brixton and Compton, with Pierre recalling the strong sense of community and culture that made the area feel like home.

From Hair Salon Hustle to Hollywood

Before acting became his career, Pierre’s first job came at just 14 years old when he began working at a friend’s mother’s hair salon.

His duties started with greeting customers, taking their coats, offering them beverages and magazines, and sweeping the floor. Eventually, he graduated to washing and conditioning hair—and then came an ambitious promotion to braiding.

Let’s just say the braiding career didn’t exactly take off.

Pierre joked that because the hairstyles could take anywhere from 12 to 16 hours, his hands simply weren’t agile enough for the job. His brief career in braiding came to an end, but the experience gave him an early lesson in hard work and customer service.

Aaron Pierre Becomes John Stewart

Now, Pierre is taking on one of his biggest roles yet as John Stewart, the legendary Green Lantern, in HBO’s Lanterns.

In the series, John Stewart is a former Marine and an architect who possesses a complex personality and a fascinating mix of strengths and contradictions. Pierre believes those layers are exactly what make the character so relatable.

He also emphasized that viewers don’t need to be experts in Green Lantern or DC Comics mythology to enjoy the series. At its heart, Lanterns is about people navigating complicated circumstances, making the show accessible even to audiences who aren’t familiar with the superhero universe.

And yes Pierre proudly confirmed that he is, in fact, the Black Green Lantern.

From Green Lantern to Superman and Star Wars

As if starring in Lanterns weren’t enough, Pierre’s Hollywood résumé is expanding at superhero speed. He also confirmed that he’s part of the upcoming Superman: Man of Tomorrow and will appear in the Star Wars universe.

The audience erupted in applause as Pierre discussed his growing list of major projects, and the excitement was clearly mutual.

From walking miles around Los Angeles with barely enough money for an Airbnb to becoming one of Hollywood’s most exciting rising stars, Aaron Pierre’s journey is a reminder that sometimes the biggest dreams start with very humble beginnings.

Now, he’s trading his first job at a South London hair salon for a Green Lantern power ring—and the next chapter looks nothing short of cosmic.

Lanterns premieres on HBO and HBO Max this Sunday.

 

(Disney/Randy Holmes)

The post Aaron Pierre on Playing a Green Lantern, Meeting Magic Johnson & Moving to Los Angeles from London appeared first on Talking With Tami.

from Talking With Tami https://ift.tt/nKplWJF
via talkingwithtami