NEW YORK, March 18 (UPI) -- Leverage and Underground actor Aldis Hodge says he relied on conversations with Cross show-runner Ben Watkins and James Patterson, the author upon whose books the series is based, to get inside the heart and mind of iconic Washington, D.C., homicide detective Alex Cross.
"I went and talked to James directly," Hodge, 39, recently told the crowd at New York Comic Con.
"My two sort of 'North stars' when it came to approaching this were talking to Ben to understand what his real vision was, so we could make sure we execute that. But then, when I talked to James, I wanted to know about the foundation of the character for him, what was most important to him about the character and just the principles that inspired who and what this character became."
Although the books and Prime Video TV series, which was renewed for a third season Wednesday, differ greatly storywise, Watkins and Patterson agreed on who the character is.
"A few things that are really important are: his intellect is really where his superpower lives," Hodge said, noting emotional maturity is another essential trait to convey when playing Cross.
