In the Spotlight: Aaron

Aaron Pierre : Offstage

Acting evokes a multitude of emotions and in his various performances, Aaron Pierre does just that. Regardless of whether you’re watching him on a stage or on a screen, Aaron is as talented as they come. The multi-talented actor talks to Blowout about all things offstage!  

It’s a wrap. No more flashing lights, outfit changes or make-up touch ups. The photoshoot is officially complete, and Aaron Pierre can finally sit down and take a breath. It’s been a long morning, filled with plenty of hustle bustle and camera clicks.

Aaron sits opposite me, looking comfortable in his grey Puma jumper, holding a hot beverage in one hand. Unlike all the coffee drinkers we’re surrounded by, he’s sipping on a herbal tea and it smells good.

As we start the interview, he responds softly and quietly. I knew even before any questions were answered, I was in the presence of an extremely humble person, and the answers that followed only further validated that.

“At first I wanted to be a 100m sprinter; I wanted to be the fastest man in the world. At the time, Maurice Greene was the world record holder and I used to train really hard wanting to obtain that level. But when I reached about 14 years old, I thought, I love sport but what really excites me?” Aaron narrates.

Braving a new direction, Aaron decided to partake in a school play, which he describes as a ‘big step,’ after which he started to pursue his love for acting. He studied classical theatre for four years and then expanded his studies to Performing Arts for another two years.

“I love TV and theatre equally. I’m very much story driven, so wherever the story is, that’s where I go to. If the story is in theatre, then that’s where I’ll go. If the story is in film or television, then that’s where I’ll go,” he states.

It would seem that his passion has quickly become very recognisable. At present, Aaron has appeared in a number of Theatre productions and TV series. The latest character being ‘Dev-Em’, in the much-anticipated American television series, ‘Krypton’. The sci-fi series was developed by David S. Goyer for Syfy/E4.

Earlier in May this year, Aaron took the role of King Hedley II, in the play of the same name. It was a theatre performance which received no fewer than 4 stars by critics. An absolutely mesmerizing performance; Aaron really had the crowd feeling exactly what he wanted them to and they had no control over it. As I did a quick pan over the theatre, I saw watered eyes, surprised expressions and most commonly, eyes glued to the stage with mouths open. 

So where is Aaron setting the bar?

“It’s not so much about setting a bar for myself. It’s relentlessly pursuing my passion with just heart and I’m just going to see where that takes me,” he stated. “If I’m honest, I don’t think about making it, but if I had to think about it… making it for me would be being happy in my chosen career.”

“I love acting. Money is not something I focus on, nor is making it. I’m acting because I love to, and I think that’s enough.”

Often enough, you’ll find that those who follow their dreams tend to put their all into it and not because of any material gain, but rather to just conquer that aspiration and in the quest to do so, become really good at it. By focusing on and challenging yourself in the world of acting, you end up providing a service to the people. One that we, as a spectator watch, listen and react to. A talented actor will make you emotional when he wants you to. You will feel anger when he’s angry and you will experience all the other emotions that would come as part of the story.

“My favourite thing about acting is evoking emotions, thoughts and feelings from people and hopefully affecting positive change. The opportunity to tell a story to people and for them to think about it and have a response, that’s what is most exciting for me, personally,” Aaron states.

“I’m always in competition with myself, so, every project I go onto, I’m always trying to out-do myself, if that makes sense. I’m always thinking of what I can improve on and having that attitude allows me to just stay focused, grounded and motivates me to work hard.”

“This is my career. In the future, I may explore other possibilities, but those possibilities will only ever be alongside this, which will remain as my main career. In the future, I want to open a bakery for example because I love cake,” he comments.

Pause. Did someone mention cake?

It’s not often that those in the spotlight so openly claim their love for things that are deemed ‘unhealthy’. How many times have you read an article on a celebrity and when asked about how they stay so in-shape it’s usually a diet of salads and air, or green juices and absolutely no solids? So of course, naturally, we had to have a conversation about desserts, now that it was on the table.

I ask Aaron if he would classify himself as a healthy person.

“I try to be healthy and anytime I do succeed in being healthy it’s because I’m very conscious of trying to make the right decision, but I love cake though. I have a big sweet tooth; it never stops. I’m pretty sure I have a slice of cake every day,” he laughs.

“You can’t ever be too hard on yourself because you only live once. So, when you feel like you need a treat, have a treat.”

Well I can happily say, that will officially be the motto for the rest of the year! Aaron does mention that what he eats mainly depends on his roles, as some require a more regimented diet than others and cake lover or not, once he’s committed to something, he goes full throttle. Words from a determined and dedicated actor (we can’t say we could give it up so easily ourselves). 

“With my everyday life, I try to make as many healthy decisions as I can, purely because I like to feel energised, focused and clear-minded. For me, eating healthily does that for me,” he further explains.

I ask Aaron who he idolises or looks up to when thinking about his career.

“I think I have multiple inspirations in terms of this career path I’ve chosen. My dad being one of the main people, as well as my mum. They inspire me hugely and in different ways, because my dad is involved in the creative industry and my mum just inspires me in a whole other way. In terms of other creatives, again I have multiple inspirations, but the first three names that come to mind are Denzel Washington, Sidney Poitier and Viola Davies,” he replies.

Aaron considers himself very family oriented. Being the oldest of two siblings and having a close relationship his parents, he believes that you should always make time for them, regardless of how busy life gets.

When asked about his happy place, Aaron replies, “I have a couple of happy places. The main one is being around my family and friends and if I’m not doing that, then it’s sitting in a room with Ella Fitzgerald playing. There’s this song called Manhattan and it’s really calming for me. There were times when I’ve been really stressed out, and as soon as I heard the first chord of that song, everything felt super relaxing. I love that song.” 

“In ten years, I see myself as happy, hopefully! Enjoying my career and my family.” 

We’re adamantly sure that Aaron will only thrive and accomplish bigger and greater things. At such an early stage in the rollercoaster we call life, Aaron Pierre is leading us with a trail of talents and achievements.

Words by Syeda Uddin