Netflix original movies can often fly under the radar or completely miss the mark, but neither seems to be the case for their latest release, Rebel Ridge. And the leading man Aaron Pierre who is the talk of the month!
The crime action thriller stars Pierre, alongside Don Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, David Denman, and Emory Cohen, and has received generally positive reviews since its release. With features as striking as Pierre’s, this couldn’t be the actor’s first rodeo on screen. But as the case with many leading men, most of Pierre’s previous film and TV roles were in the supporting categories.
Who is Aaron Pierre?
Aaron Pierre is an English actor of Jamaican, Curacaoan, and Sierra Leonean descent. He became interested in acting as a teenager, and like many other prominent English actors, began his career on the stage before moving to the screen. He attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, one of the most prestigious drama schools in the country, and graduated in 2016.
Pierre has since been gaining a lot of well-deserved buzz for his role as Terry Richmond in Rebel Ridge. For many, his performance was the highlight of the Jeremy Saulliner-directed movie and has put a larger spotlight on him. In Rebel Ridge, Terry is a former marine who finds himself in the middle of a racist-fueled law enforcement conspiracy, while trying to post bail for his incarcerated cousin.
Preparing for and embodying the role of Terry Richmond required both physical and mental preparation. In an interview with Men’s Health, Pierre spoke on the physical training necessary for Rebel Ridge, and how important it felt to play a character like Terry who is not just physically adept, but also emotionally intelligent.
“Something highlighted to me early in my journey was my height and size; I was told that some people may not be able to envision me as a character with the capacity to be emotionally intelligent.”
Across his body of work, Pierre has made it a point to shatter stereotypes by playing characters with interesting and complex backstories.
Where have you seen Aaron Pierre before?
Pierre is probably most recognizable from his role in The Underground Railroad. He played the character of Caesar Garner in the Golden Globe-winning series by Barry Jenkins. He joined Thuso Mbedu and the rest of the talented cast as a newly escaped slave as they made their way to the mythical underground railroad and freedom.
He also starred on the Syfy series, Krypton, for two seasons. The DC-comic adaptation was set on Superman’s home planet of Krypton 200 years before his birth and Pierre played Dev-Em, a Kryptonian soldier and commander in the army. Besides his work on TV, Pierre also had some big film breaks such as M. Night Shaymalan’s Old in 2021 and the emotional drama, Brother in 2022.
Most recently, Pierre starred in Foe, a sci-fi psychological thriller, alongside Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal, and Genius: MLK/X, the fourth season of the biological anthology show. In the latter, he starred as Malcolm X while Kelvin Harrison Jr. played Martin Luther King.
Pierre also has some exciting projects coming up soon. He will be starring in the upcoming Lion King prequel, Mufasa: The Lion King as a young Mufasa, and will also be joining the cast of The Morning Show next year. Evidently, another A-list film star is on our hands.
Published: Sep 23, 2024 07:35 am