"Cross" Star Aldis Hodge's Reaction To James Patterson Turning Down Millions To Keep The Character Black Is Honestly Priceless

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

by Morgan Murrell

BuzzFeed Staff

Aldis Hodge is opening up about the importance of keeping James Patterson's iconic character, Alex Cross, Black after learning what the author did to ensure his authenticity on-screen.

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In 1993, the author introduced the world to his Cross series, which now has more than 30 novels connected to it. The protagonist, Alex Cross, is a Black, decorated DC homicide detective and forensic psychologist trying to keep serial killers off the street.

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Almost every book has hit the bestseller list since the character debuted to the masses in the early '90s. His storyline has also been adapted into three films — Kiss the Girls (1997) and Along Came a Spider (2001), starring Morgan Freeman, and Alex Cross (2012), starring Tyler Perry. In 2024, the franchise added the first TV adaptation for the series called Cross, with Aldis playing the titular role.

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Last month, during an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, James opened up about staying true to the essence of Alex Cross, which included turning down a lucrative deal when executives wanted to white-wash him.

Author sitting among displayed books, holding one book, in a TV studio setting. Shelves show various book covers with the author's name

"Here’s an interesting thing about the Hollywood Cross stuff," James said. "When I wrote the first Alex Cross book, I didn’t have a lot of money, and Hollywood came calling — knock, knock, knock, knock, knock. They offered seven figures, and I did not have a lot of money. They said, 'We just want one change; we want Alex to be a white guy.' And I said, 'Fuck you.'"

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"It was painful, but I did it. So we didn’t sell it right away. But a few years later, Paramount came, so we did a couple of movies with Morgan. One of the pieces here is David Ellison with Skydance. David’s been involved early, and then Amazon got involved, which was great, and I met Ben [Watkins] along the way, which was really terrific, and then obviously, Aldis came in a little later."

James added that his childhood experiences influenced the character. While growing up in Newburgh, New York, the chef at his family-owned restaurant was a Black woman named Laura who ultimately ended up living with them for a few years. James said he spent a lot of time with her and loved every minute of it.

John Lamparski / Getty Images

"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."

Well, while attending The Root 100 gala on Dec. 5 at the iconic Apollo Theater in Harlem — where he was also being honored — Aldis chatted with me about taking on the role of Alex Cross and what he thought about James rejecting a seven-figure deal to keep the character Black.

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"I read about that story," Aldis told BuzzFeed. "I didn't know about it until it dropped a few months ago. I was shocked, impressed, and proud of that."

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"For me to step into these shoes, any time I step into a position of power or representation, it feels like a privilege and a responsibility that I'm honored to even be tasked with. I just want to carry that the right way."

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"I've also been lucky enough to be with the right team. Ben Watkins, our showrunner and show creator, really prioritized celebrating all of the assets and facets of the Black community in different ways that we haven't really seen, or that we rarely get to engage [with]. He made that the fabric of the show."

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"I'm proud to be with a team that believes in the same values that I do, especially when it comes to the representation of the culture. Stepping in his shoes is just another opportunity to disprove stereotypes, represent the truth of who we are, and help continue to open up doors of opportunity. That's what it means to me."

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Thank you so much for speaking with me, Aldis! Fans, including myself, are loving you in this new hit series. In fact, Cross earned more than 40 million views globally in its first 20 days.

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