SAN DIEGO – Aaron Pierre wouldn't let a pesky separated tendon get in the way of his dream DC role.
The actor stepped out at San Diego Comic-Con on July 24 to preview "Lanterns," the new HBO series set in the DC Universe and based on the "Green Lantern" comics. During the panel, Pierre recalled suffering a gnarly injury while he was trying out for his role of space cop trainee John Stewart but being so motivated to get the part, he pushed through.
"Just before we started filming, I had my tendon separated from the bone," he said.
"My bicep went all the way up to my shoulder. … I remember my team gave me a call and they say, 'Look, you have this opportunity. You are in the final, I can't remember what it was, final two or three at that point. And
I had just had surgery. I can't even fully extend my arm … They said, 'Do you still want to do it?' I was like, 'Don't ask silly questions. Let’s go!'"
Pierre added that he performed his final callback for the part while still wearing a brace, noting, "I just wanted the role so much. I loved John so much. I think in that moment, I was like, what would John do? I walked in there, gave it my best, and booked the role. I had a matter of months to rehabilitate before we shot."
Pierre and Kyle Chandler star in "Lanterns" as John Stewart and Hal Jordan, a pair of space cops who are drawn into a "dark, earth-based mystery with cosmic ties as they investigate a murder in the American heartland," per HBO's plot synopsis. The show has been described as a more grounded take on the DC comics source material, inspired by HBO's "True Detective."
Speaking at the panel, Pierre reflected that if he "had the choice to portray any character in the DC universe," he would chose John Stewart, explaining he appreciates that the character is "multifaceted" and complex."
Chandler, for his part, joked that Hal Jordan is a "bit of an idiot," quipping, "I relate to that."
A number of clips from the series were shown during the panel, previewing the dynamic between Hal, a member of the Green Lantern Corps peacekeeping agency, and John Stewart, his trainee and, Hal soon realizes, the person meant to replace him.
In one sequence, John complains that he still has not worn the iconic Green Lantern ring after two months of working together. So Hal, while driving a car with John in the passenger seat, abruptly jumps out, sending the vehicle off a cliff and forcing John to grab the ring and fend for himself.
In another clip, Hal interrogates a suspect he believes is an alien disguised as a human. Hal knows the person isn't who he says he is because, while he knows information about his supposed human background, he can't answer a basic pop culture question: Where did Harry Potter go to school? And when asked about former President Barack Obama, the suspect gives standard biographical information, drawing skepticism from Hal.
"As a rural Nebraskan, that's the breadth of your opinion of Barack Hussein Obama?" Hal asks dubiously.
"Lanterns" also features the return of Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, another member of the Green Lantern Corps who was previously seen in 2025's "Superman." Fillion was initially not seated on the panel, but he showed up more than halfway through as a surprise special guest. Donning a shirt that read "Best Gardner Ever," Fillion joked, "Somebody left my email off the invite list for this panel. I don't know if you guys know this: I'm kind of a big deal at Comic-Con!"
"Lanterns" premieres on HBO on Aug. 16.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How Aaron Pierre worked through gnarly injury to snag 'Lanterns' role
