"Cross" Star Aldis Hodge Reacts To James Patterson Turning Down Millions To Keep The Character Black

Published: Dec 10, 2024 5:58 PM • Updated: Feb 13, 2026 9:34 PM • Original source

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"They said, 'We just want one change; we want Alex to be a white guy.'"

"I liked being with her family more than my family. They were smart, the music was great, the food was great, I liked to play basketball. And then I would watch Hollywood and, in those days, there was Sidney Poitier — okay fine, he’s dignified — and then a lot of movies with Black people with boomboxes. Really? That was not my experience in Newburgh. So I started writing about this family that I knew and the town that I knew."

Catch more of Aldis on Cross, which is currently streaming on Prime Video.