Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Aaron Pierre in GENIUS: MLK/X | ©2024 National Geographic

GENIUS: MLK/X is the fourth installment of National Geographic’s anthology series GENIUS. Airing Thursday nights and then available on demand, MLK/X dramatizes the parallel rise of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Both men spent most of their lives immersed in the struggle for civil rights and in religion (Christianity for King, Islam for Malcolm X), and both were assassinated in the 1960s. They only met in person once, but it was a mutually significant encounter, shown in MLK/X.

British actor Aaron Pierre portrays Malcolm X in MLK/X. Jayme Lawson plays his wife, Betty Shabazz; Kelvin Harrison Jr. plays King and Weruche Opia plays Coretta Scott King.

Prior to doing MLK/X together, Pierre and Harrison both recorded voices – Pierre as Mufasa, Harrison as Taka – for the upcoming MUFASA: THE LION KING. Pierre is also known for his performances on the English stage, as a series regular in KRYPTON, for the miniseries THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD, and for feature films including FOE, BROTHER, and OLD.

Pierre takes part in National Geographic’s Q&A session for GENIUS: MLK/X at the Winter 2024 Television Critics Association press tour at the Langham Hotel in Pasadena, CA. He makes himself available afterwards for one-on-one follow-up. This interview is a combination from his panel statements and the subsequent interview.

Malcolm X has been portrayed on screen before, often by British actors. Does Pierre think that being English gives him a different perspective on this American cultural figure?

“I grew up with the perspective of one diaspora. And how that manifests itself is, I have the view and the feeling of, whether you are geographically located in the U.K., America, Canada, South America, the Continent, the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, if you look like I do, and you are experiencing trauma, challenge, hardship, I feel that deeply. I empathize with that deeply. Equally, if you are experiencing success, I celebrate and I champion that with equal verve. And I say all that to say that that was my starting point on this journey. I would never say that I have greater insight than anybody. I champion our diaspora, I celebrate our diaspora. I’m proud of us, and I can’t wait to see what we all achieve going forwards.”

Harrison relates that he and Pierre first discussed MLK/X with one another in a van about a week before shooting began. Although they have few scenes together, Pierre says, “I think the key thing and the most treasured thing, for me, personally, from Kelvin’s friendship and brotherhood is that on that van journey, the first time we met, we were very vulnerable, we were very open, and we shared our fears, we shared our concerns, and we shared how terrified we were to embark on a journey of this magnitude and to take on a journey with such enormous responsibility. I think from that was born trust, a deep connection and support network between the two of us, and I’ve always felt seen by him, and supported by him. You can’t underestimate the power of that, particularly when you’re embarking on a journey like this.”

GENIUS MLK X key art | ©2024 National Geographic

Pierre had more time to work with Lawson on the marital relationship between Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz. “I’m deeply grateful for Jayme Lawson. There were many moments where I felt I didn’t have the capacity, I didn’t have the endurance, I didn’t have the durability, and Jayme restored my faith in my ability and my capacity to serve Malcolm X, and by the grace of God, I’m hopeful that we did.”

MLK/X includes some of the best-known speeches given by both Malcolm X and King. For Pierre, getting to deliver “the bullet or the ballot” was “a privilege [and] a gift. For me, every single day was that.” Of that moment specifically, “That was sort of transporting … Everything about that was magical. The showrunners and the executive producers understood the magnitude and the weight of us attempting to portray even a segment of arguably Malcolm X’s most famous speech. And we were blessed to have such tremendous background artists. I personally feel that we wouldn’t have been able to achieve this without [them]. They weren’t just with us for the first take. We maybe did, I don’t know, fifteen takes of that, and they were with us every single time. They were enthralled. They were supportive. I remember feeling fatigued at one point, having done it so many times through my own fault. I wanted to get it right. But they would cheer you on. You’d hear, ‘Come on, now, you’ve got it.’ So, I just felt tremendously grateful.”

What does Pierre most hope that people get out of watching MLK/X? “I think that there arguably is a feeling of Martin and Malcolm being diametrically opposed, and in my view, that couldn’t be further from the truth. I think they both shared the same objective, the same end goal. They just had different ideas about which route was most conducive to that end, and that’s why I’m excited for people who gift us with their time to take from the series and hopefully be inspired to continue to dispel myths and find the truth of these tremendous individuals whom we celebrate and champion.”

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Article: Exclusive Interview: Actor Aaron Pierre on playing Malcolm X in GENIUS: MLK/X

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