Veteran actor David Harewood, known for his roles in Homeland, Sherwood and Supergirl, has finally been cast as the lead in Pierre.
“This is my first lead role in my 40-year career, which is pretty extraordinary, and it’s also the first time I’ve been number one on the call sheet. It’s a very exciting place to be.”
“I’m so lucky to have worked with some great ‘Number Ones’ like Claire Danes and Melissa Benoit on Supergirl. They really set the tone on set. If they’re not moaning, no one can be groaning. I was looking forward to setting that tone myself.”
He admitted that he “loved being in a leadership position.” “I wanted to make sure I was open and accessible. The shoot was tough, so I texted one of my ‘best’ friends and said, ‘Yeah, that’s what it is.’ You are there all day, every day, in every situation. But it was great. ”
Harewood, who was awarded the Order of the British Empire for services to drama and charity, recently reprized his role in Othello in the West End. “I’m pretty tired and I find myself eating terrible food, and I tell myself I deserve it,” he laughs.
In Pierre, he plays a West London lawyer shaken by the suspicious death of a young black client, Michael.
“I think this young man stirs something in Pierre. It evokes memories of his former self. Now Pierre is willing to walk through the fire to do the right thing, and it comes at a cost, because he encounters something he didn’t expect.”
Pierre is produced for Channel 4 by The Lighthouse. International distribution of the series will be handled by Sphere Abacus.
Sarmad Massoud is the lead director, Joe Johnson is the producer, and Roy Williams and John Donnelly are the co-writers. Jason Fleming, Michelle Austin, Dean-Charles Chapman, Nikita Chada, Christopher Fairbank, Sarah Powell, Cherelle Skeete, Dylan Ennis, and Esley May also star.
Playing Pierre allowed Harewood to showcase his skills.
“For the first time, I was able to show my full range: funny, serious, clever, witty. A husband, a devoted father, a civil servant. It was such an amazing experience to reflect all this in one character.”
Pierre’s profession was a great attraction. “We’re obsessed with superheroes right now, but we also have real-life superheroes, like nurses and doctors and people who go above and beyond every day to do their public service. Lawyers on duty get a bad rap, but they come in at three or four o’clock in the morning to make sure people are protected by the law. It’s a real honor,” he says. He contacted some of them as well.
“I was on a morning show once, and there was a pretty powerful lawyer on there. When I told him I was playing the on-call lawyer, he immediately said, ‘They’re not very good.’ That’s the arrogance of people. We’re not doing it for the money. We’re doing it because we feel that vulnerable people need help. Some people have already contacted me and said, ‘We appreciate someone telling our side of the story.’
Despite his flaws, Pierre is “wonderfully human” and is a bit of a throwback to the character we’ve seen before, Harewood said.
“He takes care of his heart and thinks of himself last. He has a great talent for loving people who might otherwise be difficult to love, and will go the extra mile for them. This world needs more Pierre.”
In the show, he is surrounded by eccentric supporting characters, including the character played by Joy Richardson.
“She’s modeled after a real woman who wore head-to-toe white and had white powder on her face. Most people would probably give her wide range, but even people on the margins of society need someone to talk to. They need a superhero to stand up for them, and Pierre is ready for that.”
Reflecting on the changes in the industry, Harewood was candid.
“I don’t know if people are thinking that much these days. Matt Damon just did ‘The Rip’ for Netflix, and he admitted that he had to retell the plot because people were on their phones and weren’t actually watching it. Both George Clooney and Leonardo DiCaprio have said that the days of people going to the movies may be over.”
“I think the pandemic has disrupted us, but behavior has certainly changed. We’re in a new era of attention. It’s no longer about stars, it’s about characters and stories. I like that. When those ingredients are in the pie, people always show up.”
Speaking of characters, Pierre is set to return. But first you need to change your lifestyle.
“You have to do that as you get older. I used to throw myself here and there without thinking, too. Now after I finish that play, I have bruises all over my body. Pierre realizes that things aren’t good enough as they are. By the end of the first season, you see a guy who made some really difficult choices move on to something better,” Harewood teases.
“Over the past five years, I’ve been very fortunate to have found something that has had a huge impact on my life and work. I’m also looking for characters like that. Characters who don’t get stuck and want to make the world a better place. God knows we need them.”
“I think it’s not about getting older, it’s about getting better. Even good people can get better.”
