With hundreds of options to choose from in their library, it can take a while to pick the perfect Netflix watch. Much to the relief of indecisive scrollers, when Rebel Ridge arrived on the streaming platform earlier this month, tuning in was a no-brainer for several reasons. First, the movie’s nail-biting redemption story of a man wronged by local law enforcement is unfortunately relatable. Second, the lead actor, Aaron Pierre is a complete and total heartthrob, as his Instagram followers love to let him know.
Born on June 7, 1994, in Brixton, England, the 30-year-old (who’s of Jamaican, Curaçaoan and Sierra Leonean descent) found his love for acting as a teen. He joined the Croydon Young People’s Theatre to develop his skills then went on to study Performing Arts at Lewisham College and overseas in Toronto, Canada. In 2016, Pierre graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. His early roles were mostly smaller TV spots: Prime Suspect 1973, The A Word and Britannia, but it wasn’t long before he caught the eye of American director Barry Jenkins, taking his career to new heights.
Since His 2018 Breakout, the English Actor Has Been Booked and Busy
In 2018, Aaron Pierre was nominated for the Ian Charlson Award for his performance as Cassio in Othello at Shakespeare’s Globe. This is also where Jenkins saw him and invited the British actor to audition for a historical miniseries he was working on – Amazon Prime’s The Underground Railroad, which debuted in 2021. That same year, Pierre appeared in M. Night Shyamalan’s Old thriller film and joined the Disney family as the voice of young Mufasa in the upcoming Lion King prequel.
He played Francis in Brother in 2022, bringing home a Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Performance. Around the same time, Pierre joined the cast of Marvel’s Blade (due out in November 2025) but was ultimately released from the project in March 2024 following rewrites. Not letting this get him down, the rising star has been seen in Foe (film adaptation of Iaian Reid’s novel of the same name) and more recently, Rebel Ridge. John Boyega was initially tapped to star in the latter but stepped down for family reasons. Earlier this year, he appeared opposite Kelvin Harrison Jr. in Genius: MLK/X, which is now streaming on Hulu.
If They Exist, Aaron Pierre’s Partner Isn’t in the Public Eye
There’s a lot that can be said about Aaron Pierre’s good looks, acting abilities, well-trained body, cute accent and ambitious spirit. His love life, on the other hand, is non-existent (according to the internet). Despite his celebrity status, if the Hollywood hunk is in a relationship, he’s not ready to share it with the world just yet. Still, that hasn’t stopped social media users from speculating about his sexuality (and shamelessly flirting) beneath his thirst traps.
Under a shirtless snapshot from his Men’s Health shoot earlier this month, @the.shandawg wrote, “I’m going to be slightly heartbroken if I find out he’s a part of the community.” Elsewhere, @lyricscrib pointed out that the entertainer might not have reached his peak yet: “He’s only 30 years old!! Not even as fine as he’s going to be!!” It seems even married men are aware of the Aaron Pierre effect. “I’m just here to make sure my wife has not liked this one,” @revtlr joked. Who do you think might be the English star’s perfect match? Let us know in the comments.