Aldis Hodge brings realism to James Patterson's TV cop

Aldis Hodge calls it ‘cross vision’.

At certain points in his new Amazon Prime series “Crotch”, police detective and forensic psychologist Alex Cross gets so deep into working a case that his brilliant mind goes into overdrive, revealing the inner workings to the viewer, but leaving fellow officers wondering if he’s okay because he’s been left out.

Hodge can relate: he would do something similar while working on a project as a conceptual designer. “People have been calling for it. They’re like, ‘Yo, Al, we lost you. For example, where were you? You’re just staring off into space,” says Hodge, who “applied my sensibilities” to Cross’ problem-solving facade on screen. “It’s just amazing, visually.”

Hodge’s Cross is a man of action And intelligence in the crime thriller series based on the character from James Patterson‘s mystery novels. The entire eight-episode first season airs Thursday — a second is already in the works — as Cross becomes the latest in Amazon’s growing library of literary crime-solving heroes, joining Titus Welliver’s “Bosch,” John Krasinski’s “Jack Ryan” and Alan Ritchson’s “Reacher.“

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Among Hodge’s film roles, from NFL star Jim Brown to superhero Hawkman, Alex Cross tops that list: He has “all the facets of, as a black man, what I believe we are, without the stereotypical judgments,” says Hodge. “He is both intellectual and raw and real and true to who and what he is, without compromising who he is.” Cross is also the smartest man in any interrogation room: the premiere shows him verbally eviscerating a racist murder suspect with measured, cheerful swagger. When I read that scene, I thought, ‘This guy is freaking cool,'” says Hodge.

In the show’s first season, Cross, a popular cop in his Washington, DC community, investigates the death of a Black Lives Matter activist. The new case brings him into conflict with locals who are wary of the police, but Cross soon discovers that a serial killer is at work in the town. He is also still mourning the unsolved murder of his wife a year earlier, and he finds himself and his family haunted by a mysterious figure seemingly connected to his past.

Cross is really good at his job and even has a signature trench coat – it’s a “very special” clothing choice for 38-year-old Hodge, who designed it with his friend, fashion designer Waraire Boswell, who died in July. But “Cross” creator Ben Watkins told the actor early on that he didn’t want Alex to be a superhero: “They’re impenetrable and invincible, but this hero has flaws,” the actor says. “He has challenges that he may not actually be able to beat. And one of the biggest challenges is myself, as he navigates this space.”

Speaking of superheroes, here’s a fun fact: just as many actors have played Alex Cross as Spider-Man in live-action films. Before Hodge, Morgan Freeman played the role of a detective in the films “Kiss the Girls” (1997) and “Along Came a Spider” (2001), while Tyler Perry took on the role in the 2012 action thriller “Alex Cross.”

All three have “spectacular and different approaches” to the character, says Patterson, but Hodge “just has a way of getting into Alex’s skin.” The books describe “that interaction and conflict between his role as father, husband, grandson, etc., and then this hard life he leads as a detective. Aldis handles this very well.”

The author also appreciates the way the show tackles contemporary issues involving police. “I don’t do realism with Alex Cross’s books. It’s like someone looking at a Picasso. You can’t say, ‘It’s not very realistic.’ He doesn’t do realism,” says Patterson.

The show explores how Alex “swims in both worlds” – the police and the African American community – and “what that difficulty looks like when you wear a badge,” says Hodge. “It doesn’t matter who you are: if you abuse the true definition of what justice is, Cross will take you down.”

Both Hodge and Patterson appreciate Cross’s close relationship with his partner and best friend John Sampson (Isaiah Mustafa), who wasn’t featured much in the films. Their story is “a brotherly love story,” says Hodge. “Very rarely do we see that relationship where two men are fighting for each other and really talking about mental health: ‘Look man, you’re drowning right now. Let me pull you up so you don’t sink. ”

Maybe Cross can expand his circle of friends with all these fellow romance detectives running around. “It’s a rich genre, mysteries, and it also travels well around the world,” says Patterson, who is also developing a show with another sleuth from his book, Jane Smith.

That goes to Max and will star Renee Zellweger, so no synergistic team-ups there. But if Alex were to cross over with one of his Amazon brethren, who would be the best fit for him?

“I think Bosch is a little close,” says Hodge. “He would have to move differently with a Jack Reacher because of the way Reacher works. And then Jack Ryan would be cool, but that could put Cross out of his jurisdiction.

“It’ll probably be Reacher,” the actor thinks, grinning at the thought of those two smart, muscular guys working together. “That’s one Good ask.”