From roleplaying in English class freshman year to featuring in Law and Order this month, senior Isaiah Pierce rapidly developed his craft in a short amount of time. 

Pierce recently traveled to New York City to film his episode, where he played a 14-year-old witness named Cirus Nickels. After his manager introduced the possibility, he sent in an audition video that landed him the role.

Over two days, Pierce spent more than twenty hours on set performing a variety of camerawork, along with scheduled time for eating and tutoring. He describes the environment as “very busy” with “a lot of moving parts.” Additionally, he was one of the youngest actors on set.

His interest in acting started not too long after doing a project in ninth grade when he portrayed a character from one of the books they read in English class. 

“I liked getting in the headspace of the character and empathizing with him,” he said. 

After finding his passion, Pierce decided to get involved and joined an acting company called Acting Out Academy, located in Vestavia Hills. He began taking classes and practicing on-camera work with other students and teachers, which he still attends to expand his skills and prepare for new roles.

When asked about his earnings, Pierce says most of his “Law and Order” paycheck will go toward funding his post-high school acting career. 

“Film and TV are what I’m focusing on, but somewhere down the line I would like to venture into all forms of acting,” Pierce said. He plans to participate in workshops around the country to gain more knowledge and further develop himself as an actor, all while continuing to pursue roles and other opportunities.