Aldis Hodge explains why he did not watch the Alex Cross movies before taking on Cross. Cross is a new Prime Video series based on the James Patterson Alex Cross novel series, chronicling the story of the titular protagonist who uses his forensic psychology skills in order to analyze killers’ minds to track down murderers. Hodge plays the leading role of Alex Cross, and Cross‘s supporting cast includes Isaiah Mustafa, Juanita Jennings, and Samantha Walkes. Prior to the TV series, the novels were previously adapted into the films Kiss the Girls, Along Came a Spider, and Alex Cross.
Speaking with Variety, Hodge explains why he did not watch the Alex Cross movies before acting in Cross. The actor explained that in any acting job, he prefers to “always keep a barrier so [he] can do [his] job.” For Cross, this meant only sticking to the series itself, “without outside influence” like watching the films first. This way, “there’s nothing that is impending or impeding [his] own process.” Check out the full quote from Hodge below:
No. What I like when it comes to any job that I do is always keep a barrier so I can do my job. So as I move forward, season after season after season, there’s nothing that is impending or impeding my own process. I like to keep it my own, organically, without outside influence. So it’s more about making sure that I can protect the character that I’m playing and creating and stepping into.
What This Means For Cross
The TV Series Is Different From The Movies
Hodge’s desire to “protect the character” helps make it such that his version of Alex Cross is very different from that of either Tyler Perry or Morgan Freeman. These differences are also structurally present in Cross season 1, which delves into the main character’s family life with far more depth than any of the movies ever did. For this reason alone, it would not make any sense for Hodge to copy the previous iterations of the character, or even draw inspiration from them, because they are so different from those which he is portraying.
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Another good reason for Hodge to stay in his own world for Cross is that the previous book adaptations were not necessarily well-received. The Perry-led 2012 film Alex Cross was a particularly egregious example in this regard, as the film holds a just barely double-digit Tomatometer of 11% on the critics’ review site Rotten Tomatoes. Furthermore, the box office for Alex Cross was so low that it caused the proposed sequel to be canceled. For this reason, it is probably good that the Cross actor did not look at these films for inspiration.
|
Alex Cross Movies & TV Show Reception |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Alex Cross Movie / Show |
RT Tomatometer |
RT Popcornmeter |
|
Kiss the Girls (1997) |
34% |
62% |
|
Along Came a Spider (2001) |
32% |
53% |
|
Alex Cross (2012) |
11% |
47% |
|
Cross Season 1 (2024) |
75% |
73% |
Our Take On Hodge’s Cross Interpretation
Cross Is The Best Adaptation So Far
What resulted from Hodge’s character study is an interpretation of the Alex Cross character that is arguably one of the more grounded of any iteration of the character. So far, this has paid off well for the Prime Video series, as Cross got renewed for season 2 before season 1 even went on air. Cross also has the highest Rotten Tomatoes score of any Alex Cross adaptation so far, sitting at a 75%, serving as more evidence that Hodge made the right call on his Cross character.
Source: Variety
Cross follows the life of Alex Cross, a skilled yet troubled homicide detective balancing his role as a devoted father and relentless crime investigator. Haunted by his wife’s murder, he navigates personal turmoil while persistently pursuing justice in the face of dangerous adversaries.
- Cast
- Aldis Hodge , Isaiah Mustafa , Juanita Jennings , Alona Tal , Samantha Walkes , Caleb Elijah , Melody Hurd , Jennifer Wigmore , Eloise Mumford , Ryan Eggold , Johnny Ray Gill , Stacie Greenwell , Mercedes de la Zerda , Sharon Taylor , Dwain Murphy , Karen Robinson , Matt Baram , Siobhan Murphy , Jason Rogel , Chaunteé Schuler Irving , Ann Hamilton , Ashley Rios , Richard Waugh
- Character(s)
- Alex Cross , John Sampson , Regina Nana Mama Cross , Kayla Craig , Elle Montiero , Damon Cross , Janelle Jannie Cross , Chief Anderson , Shannon Witmer , Ed Ramsey , Bobby Trey , Shawna De Lackner , Amielynn Vega , Oracene Massey , Akbar , Miss Nancy , Val Hardy , Tania Hightower , Chris Wu , Maria Cross , Becky Witmer , Malika Goodspeed , Pendleton Whitney
- Release Date
- November 14, 2024
- Seasons
- 2
- Franchise(s)
- Alex Cross
- Writers
- Ben Watkins
- Directors
- Craig Siebels , Nzingha Stewart
- Creator(s)
- Ben Watkins
