Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre on Finding Their Own Truth in Lanterns

For Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre, playing Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and John Stewart meant more than stepping into two iconic superhero roles. It meant figuring out what makes these characters human, complicated, and ultimately their own.

For Chandler, that starts with Hal Jordan’s relationship with fear. Asked whether fearlessness can become a weakness, Chandler first clarifies what he believes Hal’s fearlessness actually means.

“I kind of think that his fearlessness is more a power in the way that he is his fearlessness is in overcoming the fear that he feels,” he says. “To be able to overcome his fear and be able to accomplish what he wants to accomplish, I think makes him a hero in essence.”

But Kyle Chandler also sees a less flattering side to that quality. In Lanterns, Hal’s willingness to push forward can sometimes mean “not necessarily thinking things through clearly” or even having “a sort of a bad plan to begin with.”

“He would never admit that to anyone else, nor himself,” Chandler says. That tendency, combined with Hal being “kind of full of himself,” can cause problems, but Chandler says that is also what makes the character more fun.

For Aaron Pierre, the challenge was different. John Stewart already carries decades of history and significance for Green Lantern fans, which meant doing the research while finding a way to make the character authentically his own.

“You do your due diligence. You leave no stone unturned. You do your research. You do your revision of that research,” he says. But research alone isn't enough. “You also have a responsibility to find your truth within that character.”

“An audience are not going to connect with you or resonate with you if you're just copy and pasting, if you're just mimicking,” he says.

For both actors, that search for authenticity also extends to Hal and John's relationship. Pierre says Hal brings out a more relaxed side of John, describing those moments as “very playful and joyful.” Chandler, meanwhile, sees John forcing Hal to recognize his own tendency to be closed off to other people's thoughts and ideas.

“Slowly but surely, there's a respect that is created from Hal for John,” Pierre says. “Small respect, but it's there. It's a start.”

That may be the most interesting thing about Lanterns: beneath the rings, mythology, and superhero identities are two people still figuring out who they are, and what they might learn from the person standing beside them.

Watch the full Lanterns interview here.

Photos courtesy of HBO Max PH.