How French Actor Pierre Longer Embraced New Challenges in Vertical Dramas

Before leading vertical dramas, Pierre Longer was building his craft through theater, film, and television in France. His move into the format opened the door to new characters, new audiences, and new creative challenges.

French actor Pierre Longer had already built a career in film, television, theater, and modeling before stepping into the world of vertical dramas. But when an unexpected audition introduced him to the format, he discovered a new challenge: leading an English-language production while working with a Ukrainian crew in a storytelling format unlike anything he had done before.

Pierre Longer, from a post in November 2025 | Source: instagram/pierrelonger

Inspired by Cinema and Superheroes

Longer's love of performance began long before his first professional role. As a child, he was fascinated by comic book heroes and the larger-than-life characters they embodied.

Later, a viewing of "A Streetcar Named Desire" left a lasting impression on him.

"I think it was my first shock," he said in an interviein in October 2025. "And I said, OK, I want to do this job and I want to be this guy."

That realization eventually led him to pursue acting professionally. From 2014 to 2016, he trained at the private theater school L'Être Acteur in France, where he gained his first formal experience on stage.

Looking back on that period, Longer described himself as "just a rookie in theater," but he still remembers the excitement of those early performances.

"It was my first time, first moment on stage and it was absolutely awesome," he said.

Pierre Longer, from a post in November 2025 | Source: instagram/pierrelonger

Learning Beyond Drama School

While Longer values his formal training, he believes acting is a craft that continues to evolve through real-life experience.

"I think it's just about life experiences," he explained. "It's what you live in your real life... with that you can progress as an actor."

For him, drama school provided the foundation, but the lessons learned outside the classroom have been just as important.

"The drama school will give you the first steps," he said.

That philosophy continues to shape how he approaches new roles, often drawing inspiration from the people, experiences, and stories he encounters in everyday life.

Pierre Longer, from a post in November 2025 | Source: instagram/pierrelonger

Discovering Vertical Dramas

Unlike many actors who actively sought out vertical productions, Longer entered the industry by chance.

He recalled being contacted by a Ukrainian casting director and invited to audition for a project he knew very little about. After advancing through several rounds of auditions and a final video meeting, he landed the lead role in "The Year in His Chains."

The project became his introduction to vertical storytelling and his first leading role in English.

"It was awesome, to be honest," he said. "It was for me my first time in a leading role in English speaking."

The poster for "The Year in His Chains" | Source: IMDb

The experience brought several challenges at once. Longer traveled to Kyiv to work with a Ukrainian production team, performed in a language that was not his own, and learned how to adapt his acting style to a vertical frame.

"You don't have the same space," he explained. "So it's very interesting to understand how you can evolve your way to act in this environment."

Working Across Languages and Cultures

Although French is his native language, Longer has increasingly worked in English-language productions.

He described acting in English as challenging but surprisingly comfortable, noting that English often allows ideas to be expressed more directly than French.

Working with a largely Ukrainian-speaking crew added another layer to the experience.

"I just have to understand in the eyes of the guys," he said while describing communication on set. "You want that? Good, here we go."

Rather than creating obstacles, those language differences often helped build stronger connections between cast and crew.

Bringing Characters to Life

One of the things Longer enjoys most about acting is the opportunity to become someone entirely different from himself. He shared:

"What I enjoy the most in my job right now is to have this good opportunity to live many lives."

That mindset is reflected in the wide range of characters he has portrayed. In addition to "The Year in His Chains," Longer has appeared in vertical dramas including "OMG, My Husband Is a Callboy," "Desired by Two: The Vampire and the Hunter," "The Maid Who Became His Cinderella," "The Bodyguard I Can't Escape," "How I Became His Virgin Muse," and "Private Lessons with the Ballet Master."

When preparing for a role, Longer often studies films and performances for inspiration. He also has an unusual method for building characters: animals.

His favorite vertical role so far may be the vampire he portrayed in "Desired by Two: The Vampire and the Hunter."

Rather than focusing on traditional vampire stereotypes, he imagined the character as a tiger.

"I try to act, to play the character like a tiger," he said.

He believes animals can reveal truths about behavior and emotion in ways that help actors create more authentic performances.

The poster for "Desired by Two: The Vampire and the Hunter" | Source: IMDb

Life Beyond the Camera

That athletic background has proven useful throughout his acting career, particularly in physically demanding productions.

Of course, not every challenge on set is glamorous. Recalling one memorable filming experience, Longer laughed about having to swim in the Dnipro River during a production.

"It was so cold," he said.

Pierre Longer, from a post in November 2025 | Source: instagram/pierrelonger

Looking Ahead

From French theater stages to English-language vertical dramas filmed in Ukraine, Longer's career has already taken him across genres, languages, and production styles.

What continues to motivate him is the same thing that first drew him to acting years ago: the opportunity to step into someone else's shoes.

Whether he's playing a mafia boss, a vampire, a cowboy, or a romantic lead, each role offers a chance to experience another life—and for Pierre Longer, that's what makes acting worth pursuing.

As he wrote in an Instagram post in November 2025, "Strive to honor the dreams of the child you once were," a sentiment that reflects the journey that took him from theater school in France to the growing world of vertical dramas.