Nerdophiles enjoyed an exclusive interview with Executive Producer and star of the hit Prime Video series Cross, Aldis Hodge (Underground), and series newcomer Matthew Lillard (Good Girls) to discuss the highly anticipated second season. Season two finds Hodge’s Alex Cross and Lillard’s Lance Durand—an ambitious billionaire with secrets of his own—on a collision course, ultimately going head-to-head in a storyline that, in many ways, mirrors what’s happening in the world today: global corruption, greed, oppressive labor practices, and more.
Hodge and Lillard spoke candidly with us about the similarities their characters share, the incredible writing this season, and if their characters reconcile their choices, especially when those choices endanger the people they care about most.
On the similarities between Cross and Durand, Hodge shared: “I do believe that their forthrightness when it comes to doing what they do with full conviction—that’s where they meet in the middle. I think they’re also both equally yoked in their brilliance and, to a degree, their sense of manipulation.”
Hodge continued: “I do think, you know, Cross plays mind games. He knows how to draw out the enemy. But yeah, I think they are fully fortified in doing what they do and believing that it is the right thing, which makes them formidable when they go up against each other.”
Lillard added: “Yeah, there’s like this audacity of confidence that they both possess, and I think that’s what makes them interesting characters through the season. Durand thinks he’s untouchable since he’s a billionaire trying to feed the world, and so I don’t think he’s humble enough to learn from anyone or consider anyone but himself.”
Hodge joked: “That’s not true—I taught you how to line dance!” Lillard exclaimed: “My bad, you’re right. You did give me the gift of line dancing, and now everyone should watch Cross just to see Aldis line dance!”
On the transformative writing and his acting choices this season, Hodge told us: “The words on the page were so beautiful, and the scenarios are so wonderfully crafted. And so for me, what I thought about mostly was, what does this do for Cross? Where is he going, particularly from where he’s at right now? What does he want in this? As for the relationship between Cross and Durand, I didn’t anticipate—because the fun of it is, when we got on set, we found our choices and how to play off of each other together. I already knew from Matt’s performance the kind of energy and intention he was bringing to the role. So for me, his performance fueled mine and led me to ask where and how I could play in the sandbox. I kept thinking, Cross is dealing with this kind of person now, and it means he’s going to respond to him in this kind of way. So I left myself open to respond naturally based on what was happening in the moment. I mean, in the room and in the scene—that’s where I find the magic. So I kind of left myself open to surprise this season when it came to scenes with Lillard as Durand.”
Lillard echoed: “And I think that is an earmark of great acting—when you’re listening and responding, and the energy you’re getting, you’re receiving, you’re throwing back. And I think that what we have in the show is an incredible group of actors led by an incredible number one on the call sheet that brings his A-game every time. The writers bring their A-game, that crew is second to none. And so when you’re surrounded by greatness and people doing the best they can with energy and joy in the work, well, when you show up as a guest star, you look around and you’re like, ‘Oh, I do not want to be the weak link.’ And so everyone pushes everyone to their best. And that’s what you get in season two—it’s really electric.”
Hodge followed: “I will say, though, for me, I knew it was going to be fun. The way that Matthew played, it allowed me to explore other choices that would not have been there. So that’s what I love about being receptive and responsive—it allows you to discover who you are as an actor.”
On how Durand reconciles the big losses he experiences in service of his mission, Lillard said: “I think the interesting part about playing a character like Lance Durand, who doesn’t have that sort of empathetic note in his body, is that there’s this audacity of success, this audacity of money. And I think he has no empathy for what happens to other people—it’s irrelevant to him because he is chasing what he believes is a goal that is best for everyone in the world. And whatever happens outside of that, whatever collateral damage is accumulated, well, so be it. So Lance doesn’t give a damn, and it’s lovely to play someone who doesn’t tiptoe around—he is full throttle the entire time.”
Catch Season 2 of Cross when the first 3 episodes drop on Prime Video on February 11th!
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