Aldis Hodge Reveals How His Relationship With His Daughter Influenced His Role In ‘Cross’

Aldis Hodge couldn’t be more enthusiastic about his latest role. The 37-year-old actor will play Washington, D.C. homicide detective and forensic psychologist Alex Cross within the upcoming Prime Video series Cross.

Hodge not only stars within the project but additionally produces it, working closely with creator Ben Watkins to develop and shape his character. Hodge’s Alex Cross is layered and nuanced. He’s a friend, a brother, a detective, and a person who struggles with “personal challenges,” including grief and mental illness, in response to Hodge. Cross’s most significant role, nevertheless, is that of a father.

In an exclusive interview with Grio, Hodge said he identifies with Alex Cross’s journey to fatherhood, admitting that many scenes gave him a sense of “déjà vu” since he’s a young father himself.

“My little mom is my world,” Hodge says of her daughter. “Honestly, even though it’s scary on a daily basis — because you don’t want to mess anything up, you don’t know if you’re doing the right thing — I have the most peace and confidence when it comes to my daughter. Because she’s just the light of my life. I think in many ways she saved my life.”

Hodge adds that the arrival of his daughter motivated him to handle “a lot of personal issues to be good to her,” very similar to his character, Cross.

“As a parent, there are a lot of things that come up that you might not know about,” Hodge says. “You have to step in and say, ‘Okay, I need to get to the self-talk.’ I need to deal with that so that when I become an example to that little person, I have the tools to be an appropriate teacher. It’s a weird parallel to that and dealing with Cross. He’s a father and he’s dealing with some of the same things to some extent. I thought that was pretty cool. Doing the show and going through that, I was like, ‘Oh, is this déjà vu?’”

Hodge adds that it often takes a “big traumatic event or a big love event” to make people wish to cope with their inner struggles, as was seen within the “Cross” series.

“My daughter instilled in me all these things that really made me want to be a better person,” Hodge says.

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Hodge’s complex portrayal of Alex Cross is so influential that Prime Video has already renewed the series for a second season. The actor tells theGrio that he’s “very grateful” for the chance to work on the second season before the primary premieres — though he’s cautious to not get too excited.

“I’m honored. I think it’s a real credit to the rest of the cast, our crew and our writers, because everybody’s doing their thing,” Hodge says. “I’m very, very proud of it. But I also feel like we’ve been given another chance to bounce back. Let’s not take it for granted. Let’s not get too comfortable. Getting rid of the first one is hard; getting rid of the second (season) is even harder because people have to stay focused. But our team is absolutely laser-sharp. It’s just a beautiful privilege to have that support.”

“Cross” shall be available on Prime Video from November 14.