Kelvin Harrison Jr. is still trying to wrap his mind around the epic year he and Aaron Pierre have had together.
At the top of 2024, the duo starred as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X in “Genius: MLK/X,” the National Geographic series exploring the formative years of the trailblazing civil rights figures.
Now, at the tail end of the year, the actors reunite as iconic Disney characters in the highly anticipated “Mufasa: The Lion King,” the backstory of the titular lion (Pierre) — an orphaned cub who grows to become an honorable leader thanks to a chance meeting with royal heir Taka (Harrison Jr.), better known as Scar.
Between those legacy-fueled opportunities, Pierre and Harrison Jr. also celebrated their 30th birthdays. According to them, that milestone, coupled with the same-year release of their series and film, has stirred up all kinds of musings.
“One day, I’ll understand why we got to do [‘Genius: MLK/X’] at the top of the year, turn 30 in the middle of it, and then end the year with these icons [in ‘Mufasa’],” Harrison Jr. tells HuffPost, reflecting on the landmark period. With a grin, he adds, “That’s flyboy work.”
The actor’s sentiment is perhaps inspired by his and Pierre developing a close-knit friendship between their onscreen projects. Coincidentally, it loosely resembles the alliance that grows between their “Mufasa” characters.
Audiences are familiar with Mufasa and Taka’s strained dynamic from 1994′s “The Lion King.” However, the origin of the lions’ unlikely bond (and how it fell apart) remained a mystery until Oscar-winning “Moonlight” director Barry Jenkins and screenwriter Jeff Nathanson finally brought it to the big screen.
The photorealistic prequel, which hit theaters on Friday, is told largely through campfire-style flashbacks set in Africa that reveal Mufasa and Taka’s expansive journey toward their destinies — one contemplates the responsibility of carrying on his royal bloodline, while the other longs to reunite with his long-lost parents in a fabled paradise called Milele (Swahili for “forever”). Amid their quest, the pair encounter deadly dangers that test the strength of their bond and, ultimately, change them forever.
Stepping into the legendary roles of Mufasa and Scar — famously originated by the late great James Earl Jones and Jeremy Irons, respectively — was initially a daunting task for Harrison Jr. and Pierre. Still, the latter sees it as a “blessing” that’s brought them closer together as scene partners and Hollywood peers.
“It’s a blessing not only to be collaborating and working with Kelvin, which is wonderful within itself,” he adds, “but to be doing these two particular projects together just feels really special.”
HuffPost spoke to Pierre and Harrison Jr. about their friendship, what it’s taught them about one another and how their real-life bond nods to the meaningful message of brotherhood and found family at the center of “Mufasa.”
The friendship you two have cultivated in real life pairs so well with the story told in “Mufasa,” where family and brotherhood are the foundation of Mufasa and Taka’s relationship. How do those core pillars in the film build on the legacy of the original “Lion King”?
Aaron Pierre: This is certainly a prequel that continues to explore themes that I think are really present in the first [movie]. It explores family, friendship, navigating personal relationships within your life, valuing those personal relationships, communication. We take a deep dive into all of those elements in an additional way, and I think it’s really special.
Kelvin Harrison Jr.: I echo.
What traits from Mufasa and Taka resonated with you both? And what parts of this coming-of-age story really hit home?
Harrison Jr.: I think, for me… my dad being Kelvin Harrison Sr. and me being Kelvin Harrison Jr.— my dad is a great musician, and everybody when I was growing up was like, “Oh, Kelvin, you got next.” And there was this promise that was given to me that I really took to heart. I was like, OK, well, I’m supposed to embody this thing. I’m entitled to it, to some extent, to be this great musician. And I think Taka has a similar thing, whereas there was a promise that was given to him [to be king]. There was something that was supposed to be inherited. Obviously, as we know, with the ’94 version and the 2019 version of the film, he didn’t get to fulfill that promise in the way that he expected. So, finding how to navigate that through his journey [in “Mufasa”] in some ways was a little bit healing for me.
Pierre: This movie certainly allows us to get to know these lines on a deeper level. There are definitely qualities of each of their journeys that we can discover respectively with our own characters. Something that I thought was really profound that Barry [Jenkins] and the team explored in regards to “Mufasa” is, they said, “OK, in the 1994 original, he’s a king. He’s a leader, he’s the champion of his community, he’s celebrated, he’s loved and he has endless wisdom. Let’s explore how he got to that point.” Almost like the iceberg metaphor where the 1994 [movie] allows you to see the pinnacle of his journey.
But [“Mufasa”] gets to show you all that he had to overcome and endure and brace through to get there. He was an orphan, he was separated from his family, he was dismissed, he was labeled in a particular way and he was othered and ostracized. How does one work through that and become what we meet in the 1994 original? This gets to show that, and I think that is something that is inspiring and very energizing. Certainly, I imagine if I were a young person watching this, I would say that there’s a way I know what I want to be, and there is a way to get there, and that’s a really beautiful thing.
This year, you both turned 30 and had the chance to portray historical figures in “Genius: MLK/X” plus iconic characters in “Mufasa: The Lion King.” What is going through your mind as you process getting these huge opportunities that are so steeped in legacy during a milestone year in your lives?
Harrison Jr.: If anything — Aaron and I have talked about this today — we feel like God has put us in this friendship and this brotherhood for a reason. We haven’t actually done that much scene work together, but we spent a lot of time with each other in real life, had a lot of dinners, a lot of conversations, most of [which] are deep. We love to joke, but we also love to get into it. And I think there was something to be said about something real versus having a superficial relationship and also portraying people from start to finish. The Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. story, we started when they were young, when they were 17, 18, 19, 20, all the way until their deaths. Then, we’ve gotten to do this prequel, which is this backstory to these [“Lion King”] icons. In some ways, it’s like in this next chapter, as we’ve now become 30-year-old men, having a perspective on how do we want to lead and how do we want to discuss who we are. How do we want to be perceived? How do we want to represent our communities? What do we stand for? How do we want to love on the people that we care about most?
We’ve been given the groundwork for some of the most iconic characters ever, legacy characters. So if we ever get to have a legacy like that now, we do know there’s a path and a trajectory to go down that is respectable. That’s something that we’ve looked up to, and it’s been a blessing to be able to do that in this next chapter. I think that maybe is what this has all been about. Catch me in another 10 years, I might have a different answer.
I want to dive a bit more into your friendship. What were your first impressions of one another and each other’s work?
Pierre: Wow, that’s a really beautiful question. I think naturally, when you only get to experience the work of somebody, you only get to experience that part of their humanity and who they are. This isn’t the first thing I saw Kelvin in, but one of the first things I saw was “Waves.” I remember leaving the movie theater —and this was before I ever knew that I would ever even cross paths with him — I said, “That man is a phenomenal artist.” He does something in his work, which I also do, and that’s what made me feel so connected to his performance. He lacks vanity. He doesn’t care about his best side, his left side, his right side. [He’s like], “I just want to serve this character and this story to the utmost of my abilities.” And I was blown away, entirely blown away. So to now have the opportunity to collaborate with him, and then more importantly, have developed this friendship and brotherhood outside of the context of work to guide and nurture, and help each other through the journey of life is a really special thing. I’m deeply grateful for him, his artistry, but most importantly, his brotherhood and our friendship.
Harrison Jr.: Thank you, man. Thank you.
I feel the same way. The first thing I saw Aaron in was “Underground Railroad.” I’ve told this story so many times because it was so memorable for me, but I was literally sitting there watching like, “The power that he has as a performer.” Some people are interesting to observe and that’s great, but some people can push through a screen and affect you in a way where you almost feel like you’ve [been] stopped. That’s how I witnessed his work, and it kept happening. The charisma, the depth, the craftsmanship. I remember watching “Old” on the plane, and I started hitting the screen [gestures]. And it kept happening over and over and over. I still felt like a fan. I knew this brother, and I was watching “Rebel Ridge,” and I was like, “You better!”
There’s something about him where you get excited. I feel like if I’m watching a performer and it makes me feel like I’m watching sports, something’s happening. Something’s happening. You’ve ignited something in me, and that’s how he is in everything. To think he’s just so chill all the time… He saves it for the screen. Malcolm X was another one [role of his]. I mean, that’s a storyteller, a transformative actor and a movie star.
Tell me one thing you both admire about one another.
Pierre: Kelvin’s heard me say this before. I really admire the capacity that he has to be entirely present in any given moment. That is something that I’m tirelessly working on myself. I have a tendency to be, yes, I’m in the present moment, but there is some part of me somewhere always thinking about the next step. Like, how can I make my next step the best step? I don’t take time to smell the roses. I don’t take enough time to be in the present moment. And I think that’s probably a level of anxiety that I’m still navigating. The future is uncertain, so I’m always trying to figure out how I can somehow control what ultimately is uncontrollable. And Kelvin always reminds me to be in the present moment, to exist in that moment because it’s the first and last time we have that, and that’s something that I’ve been very grateful for on my personal journey and something he continues to bring into my life for sure.
Harrison Jr.: I appreciate that. I also feel like I share that with you in some ways, and I think I get my present behavior from you when you remind me of who I am. You have a strong sense of identity, of where you come from and confidence and being consistent in that every time, in any room you step into. There’s something about having a sense of knowingness that is refreshing and empowering. That’s why you move with so much power, I think, on-screen as well.
And when you remind me of that, it goes, “Wow, I feel safe, I feel comfortable, and now I get to be present in this moment with my brother, and we can move forward in power in anything that we do.” This is a man of strength and leadership, which is why he’s Mufasa.
“Mufasa: The Lion King” is now playing in theaters.