Aldis Hodge Attends Black Excellence Brunch, CBC Awards

One of our favorite actors, Aldis Hodge, was seen on the scene at a few key Congressional Black Caucus events this year.

For those of you who aren’t already aware, Aldis Hodge is known for utilizing the power of his platform on and off screen to help advocate and influence positive social change. Highly acclaimed for his iconic roles in One Night in Miami, Underground and Straight Outta Compton, Hodge stars the upcoming Prime Video series, Cross, releasing November 14, 2024.

Continuing to exercise his influential voice beyond the screen, Aldis Hodge attended the 2024 CBC Phoenix Award in Washington, DC on September 14th where Vice President Kamala Harris alongside President Joe Biden were honored.

Hodge posed for photos with other celebrities at the annual event including Tyrese Gibson and Omari Hardwick.

The theme for this years awards was “From Vision to Victory: Amplifying Black Voices,” which not only celebrates Black culture but also serves as a call to action to defend and expand fundamental freedoms in an increasingly challenging political climate.

Hodge’s upcoming Prime series Cross shares similar themes, like justice, freedom, culture and unity.

On Friday September 13, 2024, Aldis also attended the White House’s first-ever Black Excellence Brunch alongside Cross showrunner, Ben Watkins.

Aldis’ trip to DC was full of meaningful connections with influential community and political leaders such as Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, Benjamin Crump, Second Gentleman of the United States of America and Doug Emhoff, but perhaps the best part for the actor was being able to introduce some of the biggest names in the White House to his favorite plus one, his mother, Yolette Hodge.

Premiering on November 14, 2024, Cross will drop all eight episodes simultaneously, captivating viewers in over 240 countries and territories with its exclusive release.

In this adaptation, Aldis Hodge steps into the shoes of Alex Cross, a brilliant detective and forensic psychologist reknowned for his ability to probe the darkest recesses of killers and their victims, based on the iconic character from James Patterson’s best-selling novels. In addition to starring, Hodge also produces.

Crafted by the visionary Ben Watkins, who serves as both showrunner and executive producer, Cross promises a complex and twisted narrative that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats. Joining Hodge in this high-octane thriller is a talented ensemble cast including Isaiah Mustafa, Juanita Jennings, Alona Tal, and Samantha Walkes.

In an unprecedented move, Prime Video has already renewed Cross for a second season ahead of its debut.

Hit the flip for Hodge’s exclusive conversation BOSSIP Sr. Content Director Janeé Bolden

Source: Courtesy / Prime Video

We had a chance to chat with Aldis at Essence Festival this year and wanted to be sure to ask him about the way people have been reacting to the reveal of him as the lead in Cross. We joked that he broke the internet as the first Cross with biceps.

“I saw some reactions here and there and I said ‘OK I see I see what the journey we about to go on,’ it means a brother got to stay at the gym, but I will happily accept the acknowledgement,” Hodge told BOSSIP. “Just look here ladies, my eyes are up here! I’m a person with feelings, that’s it! But it’s hilarious, the audience they be saying some stuff, they funny they got to realize my Mama right here, my Mama be reading this stuff. Calm down, there’s a line and sometimes y’all just be like leapfrogging over it. I appreciate the support.”

Speaking of his eyes, we told Hodge about how powerful his have been as a tool, particularly when taking on sensitive roles like that of his character Noah in Underground.

“Strangely enough, when I was younger, because my eyes were so big, and chocolatey as I was, a lot of people didn’t hire me or didn’t want me because I was so dark, or because they say I look funny because my eyes and all that,” Aldis recalled. “And my Mama told me, ‘Don’t you worry baby one of these days people gonna be wanting you for your chocolatey-ness and for your look and all that.’ It’s one of those things where, the world may beat you down for it because they don’t know how to appreciate it, but you have to learn how to use it to your advantage. You have to make what they would say is a disadvantage your superpower so they can never refute it never again. You don’t get me without my skill set and that comes with the package So what you gonna do? I ain’t giving you no options, it is what it is.”

While past iterations of the Alex Cross character have been portrayed by Morgan Freeman and Tyler Perry, the character has still been one who could have been any race but in Prime Video’s Cross, it’s been clear from the first teaser, which was set to the sounds of 21 Savage, that Hodge’s version will be the Blackest Alex Cross culturally that we’ve ever experienced.

“I tell you, about as far as the very strategic and specific pointed narrative when it comes to addressing his Black world right?” Hodge agreed. “Our showrunner and show creator Ben Watkins has said that he’s never seen a Black Alex Cross. He’s seen a detective or police officer, and what he means by that is, a celebration or execution of seeing the Black world that he actually lives in. What is that truth? As a Black man walking through this world we can’t ignore what he’s going to face because of the fact that he’s Black. It’s not drawing all the attention to that, but obviously as Black people we know, we get attention that we didn’t even ask for. How do you deal with that, you know? And Ben is the first Black creator to put out a Cross project right? So in that we have a wholly nuanced and very new approach to what this character is in his world, which I think is really quite refreshing and it’s going to resonate with the audience. It has resonated with the audience quite well because there’s a relief in being like, ‘Oh we get this, this, and this but we also get the honesty of what this is over here and trust me we go there and it’s awesome.”

CROSS premieres November 14, 2024 on Prime Video