FT.COM/MAGAZINEOCTOBER19/202019 27
‘Youdon’thavetochoosebetween
yourpersonallifeandcareer.
Ihavetolookatmydysfunction
whenitcomestomypersonallife’
at hiscoyness.(Heeventually forceshimself
to sayit.)Overall, Londonactorsandaudiences
are, he says,“slightlymoreappreciative of
thetext”.
Pierce himself is happytogooff-script.“Iam
dangerouson Twitter!IalwaysthinkIamtalking
tomyself.AndthenIrealise–Oh.My.God.”He
is alsofiercelypolitical, fiercelyDemocratic. In
2016,hebacked HillaryClinton,andwascharged
withbatteryin Atlantaafteranargumentwith
aBernieSanderssupporterturnedviolent.(He
underwentcounsellingand communityservice.)
Thisroundhe is leaningtowardsKamala
Harris,the senatorfromCalifornia.Buthis
messageis broader.“Listen,IhateDonald
Trump[but]wehave to be carefulnotto
thinkit’sTrumponly. Hehasmovedmillions
of peoplewhosharehis beliefs.Thatis more
concerningto me,”hesays.“Just gettingridof
himis tantamount to [sayingwehadbecome]
post-racial withObama.”O
ur timeis nearlyup, although
Pierce sitsunhurriedinthe
armchair.Itell himthat
thereisone lineinDeath of a
SalesmanthatIcan’t reconcile
withtheAfrican-American
experience–namely, whenLomanis nostalgic
for“thegreattimes”.
Pierce burstsintomockprotest.“Spoken like
ayoungman!Youhaven’t hitthatwall.Andit’s
gonnacrashdownon youone day!”Heonce
againreturnsto thepast.“Thinkabout themen
andwomenwhodiedinthe muddyMississippi,
alone,at theendof alynchman’s rope,because
theysaid,‘I’mfighting forgenerationswhoone
daywill vote.’
“Lookatsomeof thephotographs.There’s
onefamousone.Just googlephotographsof
lynchings.You seeaman,bloodiedand cutand
stripped andbare. Withthousandsof white
peoplearoundhim.It’smomentsbeforehis
deathandtheytakeaphoto.That’sthe thingthat
reallygetsme–we’re gonnamurder thismanfor
no reason,andwe’regonnadocumentit.People
arecheeringandlaughing.”
By nowweare standing–barelyafoot apart,
andPierce is pointingintomyeyes with two
fingersfromhisrighthand.
“A nd yousee this blackman,fullofdignity,
lookingintothatlens,saying,‘Remember me.
Youremember me.’And let thatdefinewho you
aretoday,and howyou act. That’s acourageand
aloveandadignityandabeauty.Ithinkofthat
man. Youfind thatandputit in thatFTarticle.
Thatmanstaringintothefuture, knowinghis life
is ending,and saying,‘Youremember me.’Act
accordingly, youngman, actaccordingly.”
Heis channellingaforce thatcouldfill the
West Endintomyearsalone.By thetimehe has
finished, Ican almost seethe lynchedman before
me.Idon’t quiteknowhowto respond.Wesimply
shakehands,thenPierce strides off into the
photographers’studio.
“Henry,think of ourmorning,” he callsback,
brightly. “We’ve hadseriousdiscussions.But it
wasjoyous too, yes? Thetwocan co-exist.”“DeathofaSalesman”runsatLondon’sPiccadilly
TheatrefromOctober24toJanuary42020.
GETT HenryMance is the FT’s chieffeatures writerYIMAGES;ALAMY;PHILLIP YOUMANS/TRIBECA