Aaron Pierre

I first saw Aaron Pierre in The Underground Railroad. He played Caesar, an enslaved man refusing to succumb to the violent oppression forced upon him. His performance was extraordinary, infused with truth, strength, and humanity.

When my ­husband Reggie Rock and I took on the limited series Genius: MLK/X, a new framing of Dr. King and ­Malcolm X, we needed an actor who could embody Malcolm’s youth, charisma, complexity, vulnerability, and genius. Our choice was Aaron. He was hesitant to portray one of his heroes, questioning whether he had the capacity, the emotional intelligence, the life experience. But that beautiful alchemy of humility, courage, and swagger gave the world a powerful vision of one of our greatest icons.

They say your talent is in your choices. Aaron has chosen to use his immense gifts to breathe life and humanity into Black characters who, too often, are not afforded that grace. He is one of our next greats.

Prince-Bythewood is a filmmaker, most recently of The Woman King