Here’s what I know about the Green Lantern: Yes, he’s a DC superhero. Yes, he’s got a glowing green ring that gives him powers. But the rest? Admittedly, IDK.
So watching Aaron Pierre, who stars as John Stewart in the HBO Original Lanterns, burst into laughter when I asked about his superhero’s “electrical powers” wasn’t entirely unexpected. But, like the true gentleman he is, he gave me a little lesson on what exactly the Green Lantern does.
“One of the most amazing access points to the Green Lantern Corps is that they are human,” he explained in his smooth British accent. “They weren’t born with these superhero powers. Their superpower is their fearlessness; it’s their heart.”
One thing I do understand is that John Stewart means something deeply personal to a generation of Black fans. Watching Justice League, the former Marine wasn’t just a Green Lantern — he was the Green Lantern. Pierre’s decision to become the first actor to play the live-action Stewart wasn’t just about being an actor; it was also about being a father.
“With every role that I accept, I pour myself into it, and I also think about how the younger me would have felt about it, or how my son will experience it as well,” he revealed, referring to his young son, affectionately known as “Sonshine.”
At this point in his life, Pierre shared he is “exclusively God-fearing, so I immediately recognized the enormity of the responsibility and the task that was at hand. There is an anticipation that is paired with that because you want to get it right.”
For the Mufasa: The Lion King star, that responsibility meant doing the work to “just excavate this character to the very best of my abilities in order to bring to life the most vivid and authentic portrayal of John Stewart that I could,” he stated.
All that responsibility aside, he’s still enough of a fanboy to admit there is one perk he particularly looked forward to: the ring.
“I’d be in the grocery store just wearing it for no reason, you know what I’m saying,” he chuckled.
Lanterns streams Sundays on HBO Max.