From physically demanding action roles to hands-on production leadership, Samuel L. Pierce has built his career on preparation as much as performance. Now, the filmmaker and actor is taking that philosophy beneath the surface, literally. Having recently completed his cold water scuba diving certification along with advanced dry suit training, Pierce has added another specialized discipline to his growing professional arsenal. The certification arrives as he quietly develops a new television project set in aquatic environments, reinforcing his commitment to authentic skill-building and real-world readiness long before cameras begin to roll.
You have just completed your cold water scuba diving and dry suit certification. What motivated you to pursue this particular skill set at this stage in your career?
It is something I have always been drawn to, but with a new television project currently in development, one I cannot disclose much about yet, this particular skill set felt especially relevant. I try to be proactive about preparing for opportunities before they fully materialize.
I have also always had a healthy fear of the open water. For me, this was an opportunity to confront that directly. I believe a lot of our fears stem from what we do not understand. Once you take the time to learn something, train in it, and truly experience it, that fear transforms into respect and competence.
At this age, I think it is important to lean into challenges rather than avoid them. Facing something that once intimidated me has made me more confident, not just in diving, but in other areas of life as well.
How does this certification connect to the new television project you are currently developing?
The new television project I am developing will involve a significant amount of work in and around the water, on boats, in open environments, and in conditions that require real comfort and awareness. While I cannot share too many specifics yet, being genuinely capable in that setting is important to me.
This certification is the first step in making sure I am not a liability to the people around me. Film sets are collaborative environments, and when you are working in physically demanding conditions, everyone relies on each other’s preparedness. I never want to be the person slowing things down or creating unnecessary risk because I did not take the time to train properly.
If I am going to build a show in that world, I want to be fully equipped to operate in it.
Cold water diving is known to be far more physically and mentally demanding than standard scuba. What was the most challenging part of the training process for you?
Cold water diving adds complexity. The moment you introduce a dry suit and additional equipment; there are simply more variables to manage. More gear means more potential points of failure, so the biggest challenge becomes understanding every piece of your system inside and out.
There is a long list of things that can happen underwater, but the real discipline is staying calm when something does not go perfectly. One principle my instructors emphasized was that the only true emergency underwater is someone being out of air. Once that is addressed, everything else can be handled deliberately and methodically.
We trained emergency procedures repeatedly, including air sharing drills using a seven-foot-long hose configuration that is standard in technical diving for controlled gas donation. That repetition builds muscle memory, but more importantly, it builds mental control.
The biggest thing scuba has taught me, and something I carry into the real world, is the ability to calm your mind when everything feels like it is going wrong. When you are underwater, panic is the enemy. You have to slow down, assess the situation, and execute what needs to be done to stay safe and alive. That level of mental discipline translates far beyond diving.
Did your background in stunt work and physical performance help prepare you for the discipline required in cold water diving?
Absolutely. My background in competitive speed skating and strength training made a real difference, especially when it came to handling the physical demands of the gear. A full cold water setup is not light. Between the dry suit, steel cylinders, weights, and additional equipment, you are moving with a serious load. Being physically conditioned allowed me to stay controlled and efficient instead of fighting the gear.
There is also a mandatory swim and water tread test before certification to ensure you are physically prepared for safe diving. Having a stunt and athletic background helped me adapt quickly, not just in terms of strength, but in terms of body awareness and discipline under stress.
Cold water adds another layer. It forces you to stay sharp. You cannot be sloppy in freezing conditions. You have to stay focused, regulate your breathing, and operate deliberately. That is where the athletic mindset really carries over.
What did you learn about yourself while undergoing this certification, both mentally and physically?
I learned that when things get uncomfortable, I do not default to quitting. Early on in pool training, I felt the edge of panic start to build. Instead of reacting to it, I slowed my breathing, stabilized my thoughts, and worked through it. I completed the task and stayed in the water.
Over the course of the certification, I never surfaced to escape stress. Diving forces you to confront pressure in an environment humans are not naturally meant to operate in. You either manage it, or it manages you.
Mentally, I reinforced that I can stay composed when something feels like it is going wrong. Physically, I learned I tolerate the cold better than I expected. The process sharpened something, the ability to stay steady when conditions are not.
As a filmmaker and actor, how important is it for you to personally train in the skills your roles require, rather than relying solely on doubles or simulation?
That is actually a great question. And this may sound funny, but if I am watching a film and there is a double doing the work, the audience might not know, but I will. Pierce says, laughing.
In all seriousness, I genuinely enjoy learning new skills. This career gives me an incredible excuse to constantly expand what I am capable of. Whether it is diving, stunt work, or something completely different, I like earning competence in the worlds my characters inhabit.
To really embody a character, I believe you should at least understand physically and mentally what they are experiencing. The way someone moves, breathes, or reacts under pressure changes when they have actually trained in something.
And beyond that, I just enjoy pushing myself. There is something addictive about finding out how far you can go when you commit fully to learning a skill instead of just simulating it.
Were there any moments during training that felt particularly cinematic, where you thought about how this environment might translate on screen?
On my final open water dive, we descended onto a small shipwreck. I remember hovering there, looking at the structure resting in the cold green water, and thinking I wish I had a camera right now.
The atmosphere was incredible. Low light, suspended particles, that quiet hum of being underwater. My mind immediately went to storytelling. I even caught myself thinking this would be an incredible place to stage a fight scene. Which, yes, an underwater fight scene sounds insane, but that is probably the stunt performer in me talking.
Being down there absolutely sparks the imagination. It is such a visually unique environment. The way light filters through the water, the slow movement, the tension that naturally exists in that space, it translates to the screen almost effortlessly. Moments like that remind me why I love stepping into new worlds firsthand.
How does adding specialized skills like scuba and dry suit diving impact the kinds of projects you are able to develop or take on in the future?
I think scuba does two major things. First, at a practical level, it gives you a real functional skill set. Being genuinely comfortable underwater opens up creative possibilities that I would not otherwise have access to. If a role requires extended water work, I can step into it confidently without immediately defaulting to a double. That not only adds authenticity, but it also makes the experience more immersive and more fun for me as a performer.
Second, diving builds something deeper than just physical ability. It sharpens your composure. When you train yourself to regulate breathing, manage equipment, and stay calm under pressure, that discipline carries over into everyday life. You approach challenges more methodically. You think more clearly.
So, in a way, it expands both the kinds of projects I can take on and the way I operate while building them.
Your philosophy often centers around getting ready to be ready. How does this new certification reflect that mindset?
This certification fits that philosophy exactly. Get ready to be ready means stepping outside your comfort zone before you are forced to. It means preparing for environments you might not naturally choose so that when the opportunity comes, you are not scrambling to catch up.
Earning this certification was not the end goal. It was the foundation. I am already looking at pursuing Advanced Open Water and eventually the Rescue Diver course. Not just to go deeper, but to become more capable and more valuable to the people around me.
If I am operating in a demanding environment, on set or underwater, I want to be an asset to the team. Preparation is how you earn that.
For Pierce, the certification represents far more than a technical achievement; it’s an extension of a mindset that continues to shape both his career and creative output. Whether preparing for physically intensive roles, building new projects, or confronting personal fears head-on, his approach remains rooted in discipline and forward momentum. With additional dive training already on the horizon and a water-based television series in development, Pierce is once again proving that for him, preparation is never reactive; it’s a way of operating, both on set and far beyond it.
