DUBAI: For a superhero series built around cosmic mythology, “Lanterns” chose to end its first season in the space between two men saying goodbye.
For stars Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre, who play Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and John Stewart respectively, the emotional finale was as much a culmination of their characters’ journeys as it was a reflection of the friendship they forged during filming.
Speaking during a virtual press conference following the finale, Chandler revealed that revisiting the final moments between Hal and John had left him unexpectedly emotional.
“After watching it this morning, there’s something that really struck me is the last scene with Aaron and I in the show,” he said, comparing the experience to the overwhelming emotion of winning a championship after months of hard work.
“And I did have to gently wipe away a tear so my wife didn’t make fun of me.”
But the relationship between the two Lanterns, initially defined by suspicion, generational differences and clashing personalities, eventually became something much deeper.
For Chandler, who lost his father when he was 14, the father-son dynamic that developed between Hal and John was particularly meaningful.
“Hal had that going on with, you know, with John, that father/son relationship,” he said. “And yeah, so that love story is he won my heart over in the end and I was able to do what my father would have done for me.”
The finale also brought together the show's different versions of Hal, including the Halogram, a manifestation of the character who ultimately finds the emotional clarity his original counterpart struggled to achieve.
Chandler pointed to the poignant exchange in which Hal asks John about Kerry’s final words, before responding, “I love you too.”
“That just sums up Hal. It sums up Halogram,” Chandler said.
For Pierre, meanwhile, John’s transformation into Earth’s Green Lantern was never simply about mastering extraordinary abilities. It was about discovering the humanity beneath the superhero.
“To call this opportunity to portray John Stewart a gift would be a massive understatement,” he said.
The actor explained that he approached the season almost in reverse, identifying the assured hero who emerges in the latter episodes before working backwards to understand the uncertain man introduced at the beginning.
“I had to figure out who the man was before he became the man,” he said.
That evolution, Pierre believes, is inseparable from the series’ exploration of fear.
“John’s superpower, in my opinion, subjectively, is not being fearless. It’s the ability to acknowledge fear and overcome it.”
The actors also reflected on how their off-screen friendship helped ground a story that demanded considerable emotional vulnerability across approximately six months of filming.
Pierre said their different backgrounds became opportunities for connection rather than obstacles.
“We genuinely, sincerely developed a friendship and a closeness and a brotherhood that is not a given in these situations,” he said.
That camaraderie extended to the more difficult scenes. Pierre recalled that during a particularly lengthy night shoot for an emotionally charged conversation in Episode 4, the pair retreated to his trailer to watch clips from “Oliver Twist.”
“Despite how heavy that scene is, just know that we were watching musicals that whole night shoot,” he laughed.
Beyond their characters’ relationship, Pierre believes “Lanterns” succeeds because it invites conversations about identity, difference and empathy without becoming preachy.
“It felt like an invitation to a conversation,” he said.
And while the future of their characters remains uncertain, both actors expressed immense pride in what the first season accomplished.
For Pierre, the most rewarding response has come from viewers approaching him to explain how the series affected them personally.
“This is and will always be, no matter what happens next, one of the proudest moments in my career,” he said. “I just love everybody who did this.”