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◀everything.Peoplealways askme, ‘Well,give
mean exampleof that.’ ”
Then,sat in an armchair,withacoffeein
onehand, Pierce embarksonthe storyof
CharlesLBlack, awhitelawyerfromTexas,who
sawLouisArmstrong playjazzin 1931,and two
decadeslater joinedthe legal teamthatwould
helpteardownracial segregation.“Healways
talked abouthowhehad neverseengeniusina
blackman before.Iliketothink thatmoment
of artwasthethingthatchangedhis humanity–
thatit wasnotjustanintellectualdecision.”
ForPierce,as formanyAfrican-Americans,
theAmerican idealhasremained apromise,
rather thanareality.The dailyencounterswith
prejudice.DonaldTrump. Theneo-Nazirally
in Charlottesville, Virginia.“Youraisetheveil
andyousee thatthe barbarians were always at
thegate,”hesays.Onthe planeto theUKfor this
visit,hewas practisinghislinesinfirstclass.“The
stewardcomesbyand says no internetcalls.She
says,‘Whoareyou talkingto?’ Isaid,‘I’mnot
talkingto anybody.’And shejust wouldn’tbelieve
me...Ididn’t wanttogothere. ButIknewit was
racial. It’sjustthatinsidiousthing.”Wheredid it all go wrong?“Theuglinessof
humanity is achronicdisease.It’sapartof our
nature. Thatwas themostoffensivethingabout
peoplesaying, ‘Oh, nowwithBarack Obama,
we’repost-racial,’” he says.“Ithinkartis amore
profound waytohavethatconversation. Because
artchangesheartsandminds,wherelawsonly
changebehaviour.”
Throughhisacting,throughhis story-telling,
Pierce wantsto bring us faceto facewithour
prejudices, while controllinghisownfury.Atthe
ageof 55,he feels thesamebiological anxietyas
WillyLoman.“I got20 summersleft.That’showI
look at it now.”Heturnsto an imaginedaggressor:
“Atthisstage of mylife,Ihave20summersleft.
I’mnot going to wasteanytimeonyo u.”WendellPiercewasborninNewOrleansin
December 1963. Hismotherwasaschoolteacher;
hisfather,nowaged94, is an armyveteran,
whokept hisowntalentas aphotographer
underwrapsandwarnedhis sonagainst
becominganactor.
Pierce attributeshis careerpathto theFree
SouthernTheater,atravellinggroupof black‘Deathof aSalesman’(2019)actorslinked to thecivil rightsmovement.
“[Myparents]wouldcomebackandtellmethe
stories. AndIrevered them.Theymademewant
to be an actor.”
Hisseriousness –his beliefthatactors
“shouldalways be kindaactivists”–reflectsthat
tradition.“Inthatsense, IamNewOrleansand
NewOrleansis me,” he says.Pierce attended
theNewOrleansCenterforCreativeArts,where
therewas relentlesspeerpressuretostudy.
“Weasked,‘Henry, areyou shedding?’ Meaning,
‘A re youpractising?’”herecalls.Hestarted
accumulatingscreencredits fromthemid-1980s,
butfeltlikeanimpostor.There wasalongslog
untilDavid Simon’sTheWireaired in 2002.
Pierce andmanyof thecastthoughtthe
show–withits fogof slangandcharacters
–was destinedtofail.In fact, alongwith
TheSopranosandMadMen,itkickstartedthe
goldenageof television. Hisownrolepushed
him,an African-Americanwho hadexperienced
policediscrimination,intoamoreambiguous
relationshipwithlawenforcement.
Howmuchdoes Pierce have in common with
BunkMoreland?“Bunkwouldn’t be goingto▶