Entertainment
Playing Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X 'terrified' the stars of 'Genius: MLK/X'
Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Aaron Pierre had the same reaction after learning that they had been hired to play the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, respectively, in National Geographic‘s “Genius: MLK/X.”
Terror.
Not only did they both initially feel overwhelmed by the daunting responsibility of portraying the iconic civil rights leaders but they also felt their performances would likely be compared to those of others. Denzel Washington portrayed Malcolm X in the eponymous 1992 film that earned him an Oscar nomination, Samuel L. Jackson starred as King in Katori Hall’s Broadway production of “The Mountaintop” and James Earl Jones also portrayed King in the miniseries “Freedom to Speak.”
But with the support of friends and producers, Harrison and Pierre eventually overcame their doubts, delivering distinctive and bold portraits of the two men.
“MLK/X” is the fourth season of “Genius,” a biographical anthology series that has focused on Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso and Aretha Franklin in previous installments. The final two episodes of the eight-part season, which premiered Feb. 1, run Thursday on National Geographic and stream the following day on Hulu and Disney+.
Co-starring as King’s wife, Coretta Scott King, is Weruche Opia (HBO’s “I May Destroy You”), and Jayme Lawson (“Till”) plays Betty Shabazz, the wife of Malcolm X. The executive producing team includes Gina Prince-Bythewood, Reggie Rock Bythewood, Brian Grazer and Ron Howard.
Harrison (“Chevalier”) and Pierre (“Foe”) knew each other — they are both involved in the upcoming “The Lion King” prequel, “The Lion King: Mufasa.” Pierre plays the title character, while Harrison plays the villain Scar.
Even though they share only a few scenes in “Genius,” they clearly became bonded during the project and expressed a palpable fondness for each other during a recent joint interview at a Pasadena hotel. Pierre occasionally patted Harrison’s knee during the discussion, calling him “my best friend.” This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
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1. Aaron Pierre plays Malcolm X. 2. Kelvin Harrison Jr. plays the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
It must have been good news to be cast in this series, but I’m sure it was also scary.
Harrison: Initially, I was terrified. I didn’t know whether it was appropriate for me to be cast. I was 27, 28 years old, had just started acting and hadn’t lived that much life. I feel I have gotten the benefit of Dr. King’s and Malcolm’s work, but what was it that I could do to bring a further understanding of it? Then I thought, “I just have to get over myself.” The producers told me Dr. King was young when he began his journey. There was a lot of responsibility bestowed on him. Plus, he had a wife and kid. I felt a little naive, but that also fits in with the story we’re telling. It’s about taking on that naivety and not mistaking it for ignorance or a lack of intelligence. It’s also about not losing that sense of hope that we have in our country and our identities in who we are, putting one foot in front of the other and walking in faith. Then I got excited thinking, “I can’t believe I get to go on this journey.”
Pierre: I share that sentiment. I’m the same age as Kelvin. When I got the call, I questioned whether I had the capacity, the endurance, the durability, the emotional intelligence, the life experience. I didn’t say yes immediately because I needed to sit with that and understand what that feeling was and how I was going to channel those feelings into something that would propel me forward as opposed to prohibiting me. Once I thought I could do that, largely because of the support network about me personally and creatively, I knew I could begin embarking on the journey. You find joy in it, which is so important because what these men did needs to be celebrated and championed.
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1. Aaron Pierre as Malcolm X in “Genius: MLK/X.” (Richard DuCree / National Geographic) 2. Kelvin Harrison Jr. as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. (Richard DuCree / National Geographic)
What was the research process like?
Pierre: We both watched and absorbed a tremendous amount of historical footage. I went to “The Autobiography of Malcolm X,” which is something I think I will revisit more than once in my lifetime. Then there’s “The Sword and the Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X,” which I trusted implicitly with its historical knowledge and insight. I visited Harlem, which fueled me in a very beautiful way.
Harrison: My initial instinct was to watch every movie about Dr. King, but my young actor brain and every actor I respected said, “Stay away from doing that.” So I refused that impulse. Then I had to figure out what those actors did. What I found out is that they brought a little bit of themselves to the role. I had to do an investigation of myself to figure out how to bring my humanity.
To prepare for their roles, Aaron Pierre, left, with Kelvin Harrison Jr., says they “both watched and absorbed a tremendous amount of historical footage.”
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Aaron, were you intimidated by Denzel Washington’s acclaimed performance as Malcolm X in Spike Lee’s film?
Pierre: Denzel is a hero of mine. I have the utmost respect for him, not only artistically but personally. I had to manage that a hero of mine had played a hero of mine. I dealt with that by accepting that truth and then setting it free. Once I did that, I was able to permit myself to be liberated and safe enough to explore my own portrayal and bring my own life experience to Malcolm.
Kelvin, you had a similar situation. The actors who have played King include Jeffrey Wright and James Earl Jones.
Harrison: It’s kind of none of my business at a certain point. Dr. King was called to do something. If the people behind this project are calling me to do this, they see something in me I can’t see. And it’s arrogant for me to sit there and debate about it.
Pierre: At a certain point, we made peace with that fact, realizing all we can do is do our best. We use everything in our power to serve these tremendous men and their stories and legacies. Beyond that point, we have to set it free and let it be. It’s the only way to protect your well-being.
King and Malcolm X’s stories are told on parallel tracks. You share only a few scenes, but it’s clear you felt connected to each other.
Pierre: Absolutely. Aside from the professional work we share, this is one of my dearest friends. There’s a true sense of support and seeing one another through each others experience. We have so many parallels and similarities of our respective lives. We didn’t see each other a lot on set, but when we did, we checked in with each other. We understood that what we were embarking on was not easy. It required vulnerability.
Harrison: One of the times we did connect was when he came over to my little apartment in L.A. He brought doughnuts and I cooked. We talked about everything — how our journeys were going so far. Then we watched “Devil in a Blue Dress” with Denzel and Don Cheadle. We filled our cups with these beautiful portrayals. It was inspiration. It’s so easy to want to retreat when you’re on a journey like this. You get overwhelmed. You want to say, “This is too hard, I’m backing out.” So it’s important to have those moments to reconnect and say, “We’re in this together.”
The actors say they tried to support each other in their roles. “We talked about everything — how our journeys were going so far,” says Kelvin Harrison Jr.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
What was the most challenging day for you both?
Pierre: If we’re being honest, every day was challenging. This isn’t an engagement that ended with the final scene of the day. This demanded that we be engaged every day for the five or six months we did this. Every day we felt the weight of wearing those jackets.
Were you ever able to relax? What did you do to relieve stress?
Pierre: I’m really very grateful to Kelvin and Weruche. I have a tendency, no matter what the project is, but particularly with a project of this magnitude, to completely immerse myself for the duration. But they really looked after me. I would just be sitting in my trailer, in the suit with the glasses on, waiting for the next scene. Then one or both of them would drop by and say, “I brought you some shrimp.” They would bring joy. They contributed to the health of my personal well-being.
Harrison: I read somewhere that Martin’s favorite show was “Star Trek,” and he would watch that to decompress. So I thought, “I’ve got to find my own show.” So I got addicted to “Big Brother.” That was my “Star Trek.” I know that show is ridiculous, but I refuse to give it that label because it’s so good. It was like, “They’re stuck in this house. On the set, I’m stuck in this universe.” I related to them, and it would make me laugh and have fun.
What do you think audiences will learn from “Genius”?
Pierre: I hope it will dispel the myths and reveal the truth about the experiences of these men. There is a considerable amount of misinformation about Malcolm X. They need to gain the understanding that he operated from a place of love and light. Some might say he was advocating for physical engagement. I disagree. I think he was advocating for safeguarding and preserving the safety and livelihoods of your loved ones, your community and for those who look like you.
Harrison: Our job as storytellers is to inspire. With this story, I see it as a mirror to our country and the cyclical nature of it.
The sixth outing in the director’s chair for filmmaker Kirk Jones, I Swear dramatizes the real-life story of touretter John Davidson (played by Robert Aramayo). Tourette’s Syndrome, for those unfamiliar with the condition, is a nervous system disorder that causes various tics, the most prolific being erratic and explicit language. However, as I Swear expertly showcases, the syndrome is far more than ill-timed outbursts of curse words. Davidson’s story is one of societal frustration, finding your people (both with and without the condition), and using your voice to help others rise. The subject and subject matter are handled with absolute care and understanding under Kirk’s measured vision and Robert Aramayo’s BAFTA-winning performance.
The film kicks off with the greatest exclamation to democracy ever uttered (*%#! the Queen!), as a nervous John Davidson prepares himself before entering an awards ceremony hosted by Britain’s royal family. Right away, the film tells us what it is: a triumph over adversity that blends humor and human drama with education. It’s an important setup, as the film flashes back to Davidson’s 1980s youth, where we see his time as a star soccer recruit flatline as his condition takes hold. Davidson’s life spirals from there. Some aspects, like school bullying and accidental run-ins with authority figures, are expected but important to empathizing with young Davidson’s (young version, played with heart by Scott Ellis Watson) new everyday life. The more tragic, a complete meltdown of his family system, is unsettling if quick. His father (Steven Cree) is never given enough screen time to explore his alcohol coping tendencies. However, his mother Heather’s descent into easy fixes and blaming is crushing and convincing. Harry Potter series actress Shirley Henderson (Moaning Myrtle) gives a layered performance as Heather. Someone who loves her son, but also feels cursed by him as the entire family exits the picture. It’s bitter, she’s tired, and fills each conversation with ‘only medication and your mother can save you’ energy.
From there, the viewer and Davidson find refuge in a host of characters. Maxine Peake plays Dottie, the mother of a childhood friend and a retired mental health nurse. Screen vet Peter Mullan plays maintenance man Tommy Trotter. Together, they help Davidson build a life and an understanding of himself that carries the film forward into its second half. After that, the film is primarily a 3-actor show as director Kirk fills the screen with these tour-de-force performances. Peake and Mullan are great vessels to get the film’s main message across: patience, love, and a shared responsibility between the diagnosed and those who understand their struggle can help change the path for people quickly left behind by a normative world. Together, they are the soul of the movie, with the filmmakers clearly hoping the audience will follow their lead after they exit the theater (in my case, the beautiful Oriental Theater for the Milwaukee Film Festival). Both performances are perfectly warm and reflective and shouldn’t be left out in discussions of I Swear.
I say this because the movie is anchored by The Rings of Power actor Robert Aramayo, who leaves Elrond’s elf ears behind to bring an acute naturalism to his performance of main character John Davidson. Aramayo’s physicality and timing of the fitful Tourettes Syndrome never feel out of place or overplayed. In fact, the movie as a whole does an amazing job of never veering into sentimentality. While many moviegoers left with tissues dabbing their eyes, the filmmaking never felt like it was forcing that reaction out of audiences. It straddles the line between feel-good and reality with every story beat and lands squarely on the side of letting the real inform our feelings. Anyone with an ounce of empathy will grasp the film’s message and hopefully take it with them into life.
I Swear continues at the Milwaukee Film Festival on Tuesday, April 21st, and releases nationwide April 24th, 2026, courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
Several private equity firms and Hollywood power players, including United Talent Agency and longtime agent Patrick Whitesell, have expressed interest in buying parts of Casey Wasserman’s music and sports management firm after it abruptly went up for sale.
Wasserman became ensnared in controversy earlier this year after his salacious decades-old emails to Ghislaine Maxwell, an accomplice of child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, were released as part of the U.S. Justice Department’s trove of Epstein files.
The agency auction is in the early stages, according to three people close to the process but not authorized to comment.
Earlier this week, several interested parties submitted proposals to meet a preliminary deadline in the auction, two of the sources said.
The company, which changed its name to the Team last month, is expected to be valued at around $3 billion.
Providence Equity Partners holds the majority stake. The private equity firm has discussed selling the entire company or carving off Wasserman’s minority interest. Providence also has considered selling the bulk of the firm and staying on as a minority investor, one of the sources said. Another scenario could involve separating, then selling the individual business units that make up the Team.
Wasserman and Providence’s company boasts an enviable roster of music artists, including Kendrick Lamar, Coldplay and Ed Sheeran. Its sports marketing practice is viewed as particularly lucrative and has potential to grow in value as big dollars flow into sports that draw large crowds.
Wasserman, who declined to comment, has a veto right over any sale of the company that he has spent a quarter of a century building.
UTA, which also declined to comment, is among the most aggressive suitors, the sources said. The Team’s sports marketing and music representation divisions would dramatically boost the Beverly Hills agency’s profile and client roster.
Whitesell, former executive chairman of Endeavor, separately has been motivated to make investments in sports, media and entertainment since last year when he left the talent agency that he and Ari Emanuel built. Whitesell launched a new firm with seed money from private equity firm Silver Lake, and last spring he started WIN Sports Group to represent professional football players.
Whitesell wasn’t immediately available for comment.
European investment firm Permira also has expressed interest, according to a knowledgeable source. Permira declined to comment.
The New York Times first reported that Permira, UTA and Whitesell had expressed interest.
The sales process is expected to stretch into summer, the knowledgeable people said. The auction could become complicated particularly if Providence decides to unwind the business.
For example, UTA could not buy the entire company because of the Brillstein television unit. The agency is bound by an agreement with the Writers Guild of America that prevents it from owning television production.
Investment bank Moelis & Company is managing the sale. A representative of the firm declined comment.
Wasserman also is the chairman of LA28, the nonprofit group that will be staging the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in two years.
Following revelations of Wasserman’s 2003 emails with Maxwell, several musicians and athletes — led by pop artist Chappell Roan and soccer star Abby Wambach — said that, to stay true to their values, they would leave the agency then known as Wasserman.
Wasserman apologized to his staff for “past personal mistakes” and said he would sell the agency.
He had limited dealings with Epstein, flying on the financier’s jet along with former President Clinton for a September 2002 humanitarian trip through Africa.
Wasserman, a prolific Clinton fundraiser whose legendary grandfather, Hollywood titan Lew Wasserman, helped the Democrat win the 1992 presidential election, was joined on Epstein’s jet by his then-wife, Laura, actor Kevin Spacey, Epstein, Maxwell — who was convicted of sexual abuse in 2021 — and others, including security agents.
The LA28 board’s executive committee unanimously voted to keep Wasserman as chairman, citing his “strong leadership” of the Games.
Pizza Movie (2026) Director: Nick Kocher and Brian McElhaney, Star: Gaten Matarazzo and Sean Giambrone
Somehow, I got through an hour of this movie. I was seconds away from turning off in the first fifteen minutes because of the juvenile humor. Pizza Movie is too silly, repetitive, and the characters are annoying. Stranger Things Gaten Matarazzo and Sean Giambrone star as college friends, Jack and Montgomery. College angles are rarely seen in films right now, and that’s the one saving grace of the film. Similar to high school, people are also trying to fit in. The story and visuals were too corny. You can only watch someone’s head exploding for so long without letting yours.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026) Director: Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, Stars: Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, Anya Taylor-Joy
I never saw the first Super Mario Brothers Movie when it was out, but I heard it got positive reviews. My brother always loved playing Super Mario video games as a kid, and I’d watch him. I tagged along with my friends to see Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and it’s a cute and fun film. I like it when movies explore the video game world. The animation creates unique worlds and characters. The characters are split into their own storylines, and for me, I felt like it worked. It adds more action, especially for kids who are seeing the films.
Emily in Paris Season 5 (2025) Creator: Darren Star, Stars: Lily Collins and Ashley Park
After a bright spot in season 4, I thought season 5 of Emily in Paris would continue its growth in the story and its protagonist, but no, it’s all drained out in the usual Emily (Lily Collins) mishaps. Ashley Park (Mindy) has become too good for this show. Emily and Mindy waste several opportunities because of their love lives. The whole relationship angle is ruining it. I don’t understand why Alfie (Lucien Laviscount) is still in the show. I thought writers learned their lesson, but by the last episode, they’re continuing to bring the past into an apparent season 6.
Sarah’s Oil (2025) Director: Cyrus Nowrasteh, Stars: Naya Desir-Johnson and Zachary Levi
There’s always history lurking right beneath our noses. Sarah’s Oil (2025) tells the true story of Sarah Rector, an Oklahoma-born African American girl who became the first black female millionaire in the U.S. Naya Desir-Johnson is fierce and driven as Sarah. Zachary Levi is also along for the ride as Bert, a man who helps Sarah. Kate (Bridget Regan) was another favorite character as an intelligent woman. Cyrus Nowrasteh was drawn to the subject for its story and its themes. Nowrasteh’s direction is compelling as he unearths a hidden story from history. The film is streaming on Amazon Prime.
Jack Goes Boating (2014) Director and Star: Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Ryan
Jack Goes Boating (2014) didn’t quite work for me, largely because of its slow pace and uneven storytelling. The film stars the late Seymour Hoffman as Jack, who also directed the film. This was Hoffman’s first and only time in the directing chair. Amy Ryan also stars in the film, giving a solid performance. This was also based on a play that Hoffman starred in. Jack wants to participate in a swim championship. That’s hardly what the film is about, tracking other characters’ stories. While the film aims for quiet intimacy, it ultimately drags, making it an underwhelming viewing experience.
You Kill Me (2016), Director: John Dahl, Stars: Ben Kingsley, Tea Leoni, Luke Wilson
Meet You Kill Me (2016), yet another film that I found in the museum of underrated gems. The concept revolves around Frank (Ben Kingsley), a hitman, who is sent to an A.A. meeting to get his mind focused again. A different story happens, where Frank falls in love with Laurel (Tea Leoni). Leoni is one of my favorite actresses. It also stars the funny Luke Wilson. I liked the trio’s dynamics. You Kill Me is a mental health movie. It’s okay to make changes if you’re not happy. I recommended that you keep an eye out for this movie.
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