From Netflix breakout to Star Wars leading man, Aaron Pierre opens up about childhood dreams, Green Lantern, and building a brand-new galaxy on screen.
ByBernadette Giacomazzo
August 3, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Aaron Pierre covers the latest issue of GQ Hype and reflects on how starring in Shawn Levy’s upcoming film Star Wars: Starfighter fulfills a childhood dream sparked when he first saw The Phantom Menace at age five.
- Pierre says the production’s massive practical sets and on-set music made filming feel almost theatrical—“the mud is real”—as he helps build the Star Wars universe instead of just watching it.
- With Starfighter in post-production for a May 28, 2027 release, the rising star adds another major franchise to his résumé alongside Netflix’s Rebel Ridge and HBO’s Lanterns, while Levy promises an entirely original, non-sequel, non-prequel Star Wars story.
Aaron Pierre has already conquered Netflix and is about to suit up as a Green Lantern. But the actor says nothing compares to finally stepping into the Star Wars universe.
In a new GQ UK cover story, Pierre reflected on filming Star Wars: Starfighter, revealing that joining the iconic franchise brought a childhood memory full circle. Long before he landed a role in the film, Pierre was just a five-year-old kid mesmerized by The Phantom Menace after a family friend took him to see it while his parents were at work.
“I just remember being totally blown away by the enormity of Star Wars and how it immersed you into the universe,” Pierre recalled.
Today, he’s no longer watching that galaxy far, far away—he’s helping build it.
Pierre stars in Star Wars: Starfighter, director Shawn Levy’s stand-alone entry into the franchise alongside Ryan Gosling, Amy Adams, Matt Smith, and Mia Goth. Production has wrapped, and Levy recently confirmed the film is now in post-production ahead of its May 28, 2027 release.
Speaking at the Breakthrough Prize Ceremony, Levy said he’s fully immersed in the edit. “I’m in the dark quiet of the edit room finding the best possible shape for the film,” he said as the project enters its next phase.
For Pierre, the scale of the production exceeded even his childhood imagination. Rather than relying solely on visual effects, he said the film’s practical environments made the experience feel almost theatrical.
“Whole worlds are literally built for you to walk through, touch, go inside and climb,” Pierre said. “The music that gets played before a scene commences… It feels like you’re on stage. Like, the mud is real!”
The role adds another blockbuster franchise to an already remarkable run. After breaking out in Netflix’s Rebel Ridge, Pierre has become one of Hollywood’s fastest-rising leading men, with starring roles in HBO’s Lanterns and now Star Wars.
Levy has previously described Starfighter as an entirely original story—”neither a sequel nor a prequel”—designed to chart fresh territory within the franchise.
