By Anne Ruisi
Just this past summer, Homewood High senior Isaiah Pierce, who was active in his school’s theater program, signed up for a summer acting program at Acting Out! Performing Arts Academy in Vestavia Hills.
Two months after the new school year began, he was a guest star on “Law & Order.”
“It was incredible. It was an amazing experience all around,” Isaiah said. He spent four days in New York to film the episode “12 Seconds,” which was broadcast Oct. 27.
IMDb describes the episode as one in which the series’ detectives “piece together the clues of what happened to a murdered law student, uncovering a web of blackmail and lies.” Isaiah’s character, Cyrus Nichols, gets caught up in the case by dealing with the blackmailing of his on-screen father.
While his gig on Law & Order is his first on a professional set, it wasn’t his initial venture into acting. He’s been active in Homewood’s theater program and told his mother, Rosalyn Pierce, he wanted to get into acting as a profession. Someone she knew suggested he look into attending Acting Out! and Isaiah signed up for the summer program.
“He came to every single class. He was always early, always prepared and ready to work,” said Meg Deusner, the academy’s owner.
Isaiah recorded scenes he was working on, which Deusner sent to Lynne Marks, a talent manager in Los Angeles known for finding and developing young actors.
“She was immediately interested in Isaiah,” Deusner said.
Marks, who is with A3 agency, flew into Birmingham for last summer’s intensive acting camp and met Isaiah. She became his manager and now he has a team of people who are developing his career, Deusner said.
Isaiah won the role on Law & Order in August and flew to New York with his mother for filming. He worked 10-hour days on Monday and Tuesday and returned home on Wednesday.
Since this was Isaiah’s first professional acting job, director David Grossman explained everything related to “behind the scenes and how it’s all done,” Isaiah said.
He also absorbed plenty of information about the profession from the actors he worked with, all of whom advised him to go to college before pursuing a full-time acting career, Isaiah said. Veteran actor Charles Parnell, who played his father, told him college could help “strengthen your craft,” Isaiah said.
Isaiah is thinking about college after he graduates from Homewood High next spring but is undecided. Committing to four years of study – even at his dream school, Julliard – has to be weighed against losing four years of performing opportunities to advance his career.
“Two to four years is a long time not to pursue roles,” he said.
As Isaiah was 17 at the time of filming and underage, his mother had to be present on the set when he was, a novel experience for her.
One of the show’s writers explained the show’s production process, which she said was “really interesting.”
“I was really just taking it all in,” Rosalyn Pierce said.
Isaiah had a tutor who worked with him to make sure he kept up with his studies.
Back at home, when he’s not working on his acting skills, Isaiah enjoys drawing, listening to music – mainly Indie pop and Indie folk – and spending time with his friends.
Isaiah now is listed on IMDb, with the “Law & Order” episode listed as his only professional experience – for now. That list is likely to grow.
“The minute I met him I knew there was something special about him,” Deusner said. “I believe he’s going to go far.”
