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‘Suits’(2011-)‘Treme’(2010-13)‘The Wire’(2002-08)‘Tom Clancy’sJack Ryan’(2018-)‘Selma’ (2014)◀museumsand hearing musicand all thatstuff.
Just agood drinkand acigar.What we shareis
he’s astudentof police work, he’s acriminologist.
Thedrive of, like, Imay be af**k-up,but Iknow
I’mgood at thisone thing.”P
ierce, too, felt good at onething
–acting.But,in2005,midway
throughTheWire,H urricane
Katrinahit,and the poorlykept
levees unleashedanalmost
Biblical flood on his home city.
Thusbegananewphasein hislife,lacedwith
attemptsto guidethe city’srebirth.
He starred as awomanisingtrombonistin
Treme,another David Simoncreation for HBO.
It’sabeautifulportrait of acity,althoughit lacked
TheWire’s sensationalbrutality and thereforeits
impact. ForPierce, it achievedwhat he wanted:
“It has becomeaculturaldocument.” (Pierce’s
love of jazzis no act. “RonnieScott’sismyhang
hereinLondon.”)
Meanwhile,Pierce entered intoamix of
business andphilanthropicprojectswith a
childhood friendcalledTroy Henry–building
housesinhis family’sneighbourhood,
openinggrocery stores in areas withoutaccess
to freshvegetables, even chairingHenry’s
mayoral campaigns.
Thepropertyprojectshavesuffered lawsuits,
the mayoral campaignsfailedand the grocery
stores closed.Atoughbusiness,Isuggest of the
latter.“Thetoughestofbusiness!” But Pierce is
undeterred, andwithHenry,recentlyboughta
local African-Americantalk-radiostation.
In 2016, one of Pierce’s homes, in BatonRouge,
wasruinedbyflooding.Climatechangeandrising
seasbodeill for the region.DoesPierce ever
imagine that his hometown maybeunliveable?
“It’sthe greatest port in theStates. NewOrleans
is always goingtobethere. Because if it wasn’t for
NewOrleans,the United Statesliterallywould
have nevergrown.”
Pierce is unmarried,has no children andin
the pasthas spoken about howhis work has
disruptedhis privatelife. Whatsacrificeshas he
made?“TheolderIget,IrealisethatIuse thatas
an excuse,”hereplies, withdisarmingfrankness.
“You don’t have to choose betweenyour personal
life and career. Ihavetolookatmy–my
dysfunctionwhen it comestomypersonal life... ”
He says that aricherpersonal life would help
his acting.“If youreallylookatgoingto another
levelofthe humanexperience,youhaveto
explorethoserelationships.”Then he diverts
againon to his favoured theme,howAfrican-
Americansshaped theUS. “I canliterally,when
youcometo NewOrleans, Henry,takeyou and
we can standas we’resitting herenow,onthe
birthplaceof jazz:CongoSquare, wherecaptured
Africansfoundtheirfreedom,culturally, before
theyfoundtheir physical freedom...Henry,
playasolo,befree, be an individualwithinthe
constraintsof the song.”Thetravellingsalesmenhaveevaporated
from America’s roads.YetDeathofaSalesman
enduresbecauseof its themes: the proudman
withthe wrong dreams,the old-timer being
surpassedbynew technology(avoicerecorder),
the husbandwhocannotrecognisehis wife’s
devotion,the fatherwhocannothearhis sons’needs, the materialistwhoyearnsfor contact
withnaturebyplanting afew hopeless seedsin
his backgarden.
“I am not adimeadozen,”protests Willy
Loman,evenasthe market values himless than
that.His wifeLindadescribes himas“onlyalittle
boat lookingfor aharbour”.
DoesPierce like Loman?“Ilove Willy, Ijust
wishthathe could seehis hubrisand the mistakes
thatleadhimdown thepath of self-destruction.”
Thismonth,as well as the play, Pierce can be
seen in the finalseriesofSuits,anewseriesof
TomClancy’sJackRyan,and twofilms,Clemency
andBurningCane,both showingat the London
FilmFestival. Unlikehis formerSuitsco-star
MeghanMarkle,he has no intention of giving
up acting(“I’msureshe missesit”). But when
Iput it to Pierce thathis trajectory bears no
resemblanceto Loman’s decline, he objects.
“Fameis obscurityin waiting...Inever felt
and Istill don’t feel thatI’m setfinancially. That
is thescariest thingabout playingWillyLoman.
Ican playacharacter in theatre, TV and film,and
after it’sover, it’sover. WithWilly Loman,it’s
alittle different.Lookingatyour inadequacies,
wonderingif your bestdays arebehindyou,
tryingtoliveapurposeful life...LikeIsaid, Ihave
20 summersleft.Ihavemoredays behindme
than aheadofme.”
Pierce is awareofthe differencesbetweenthe
West EndandBroadway. He onceperformedin
aBroadwayversionof CarylChurchill’sSerious
Money,w hich hadbeenasuccess in Londonbut
whichmajoredonswearing.“TheC-word in
Americais likethe thirdrail in the subway. Here
it’sdifferent.Look, Ican’t even sayit,”helaughs‘Burning Cane’(2019)