Cross Cast Dives Into The Authenticity of Season Two!
Season 3 Premieres on Prime Video February 11
Nerdigo correspondent Kay-B got some exclusive Season Two scoop for the hit Prime Video series, Cross! As part of the Television Critics Association virtual press conference, participants included Aldis Hodge (“Alex Cross,” executive producer), Isaiah Mustafa (“John Sampson”), Alona Tal (“Kayla Craig”), Jeanine Mason (“Luz”), Samantha Walkes (“Elle Montiero”), Johnny Ray Gil (“Bobby Trey”), Matthew Lillard (“Lance Durand”), and Ben Watkins (showrunner/creator/executive producer + “Roy McElhannon”).
Set with Washington, D.C., as the backdrop, Cross Season Two picks up with the fallout and loss of trust between Cross and Elle. It finds him grappling with the reality that the family unit he was creating with Elle and his kids is shaky and likely never will be what it was. We also see Cross tasked with another high-profile client case, protecting billionaire Lance Durand from attempts on his life. The “why” of this case forces him to partner with Kayla, leaving John to deal with new personal issues that develop and a case of his own that hits too close to home. Along the journey, we’re introduced to Luz and get to see Bobby Trey in a whole new light. Read their thoughts on how the current storyline mirrors what’s happening globally today, how the bold new characters in Season Two continue to push the show to higher heights, the sins of billionaire culture, and so much more.
On Elle’s Season Two arc being different after being deceived by Ed Ramsey and her chemistry with Cross, Walkes shared: “I think there is a real vulnerability and tenderness this season. There are things that she’s asking for that leave her quite open and vulnerable to what the relationship will be. But she’s asking for things that she really wants and asserting herself, so I love that journey.”
On the originality of Season Two’s storyline, Watkins told us: “Season Two is a completely original storyline as far as the mystery goes. Obviously, we’re honoring the characters and the world that James Patterson sets up in the books, but when we started the series in general, I made a decision not to adapt any of the actual books. I want to take the world and those characters and then come up with our own original stories. So, the way we look at it is each season is its own version of a Cross series book. Season Two is Bitter Fruit, and that title is inspired by the quote, ‘Revenge is a bitter fruit whose poison sours the soul.’”
On whether Cross compares to any other long-term characters he’s portrayed years prior, Hodge said: “Every character I’ve played throughout my career has been an evolution getting me to the character that I want to play, and every decision has been intentional. So, when it came to Alex Cross, I remember only reading the first ten pages of the first script before I called my team to say, ‘This is it. I want it, and I have to meet Ben, because this is checking all the boxes that I want to hit.’ Cross is a character who I would love to be wrapped up in for years, for what he represents and how he presents. In that first script, I loved the writing because it was so intelligent, exciting, and dynamic. It was intelligent because it wrapped up the commercial aspect of entertainment around the valued aspect of giving you substance. So, for me, it was like the best of both worlds. Right now, I feel like Cross is the pinnacle of the type of characters I’ve gotten to play in my career. So, there’s no comparison.”
On the way Season Two mirrors the current state of our world, Watkins revealed: “I would love to say I’m pleasantly surprised by how timely the storyline is, but to be honest, I wish it wasn’t timely. I think the things that we talk about this season—questions about the difference between law and justice, the themes that have to do with the exploitation of minors in migrant labor—those things are really happening. We shot this over a year ago, and at that time, we knew these situations and issues were real, but we didn’t know that it was going to resonate so much with what is going on right now.”
Watkins continued: “Going into Season Two for me, something was simmering and had been for a while—this feeling that we were all getting a raw deal. It was a feeling that everyone, regardless of where they come from or their path in life, was getting the short end of the stick, but even worse, feeling like there was nothing they could do about it. I think that’s one of the reasons I really leaned into a storyline about vigilantism, because I wanted to live vicariously through someone who decides to flip the tables. That’s where Luz came from. But in doing that, I also wanted to force myself, and hopefully the audience, to ask the question about how far is too far. If you agree with why someone’s doing something, and maybe even who she’s doing it to, at what point did she go too far? Because there’s collateral damage. It was easy to pair that with our characters—the folks who are chasing this killer—because somewhere along the line they must ask themselves, ‘Am I chasing the bad guy or the good guy? And if it’s the good guy, then what does that make me?’”
Mason added: “For me, I remember while we were filming feeling almost a little guilty about how much of her really resonated with me. Of course, putting aside the awful thing she does, I understand why you would be this lit up about stuff. I’ve only gotten more convinced that she’s onto something. I’m certainly hopeful that we will get into a better place, but I’m grateful for the timing and that we have this kind of character. We have so much power to do something ourselves, and she’s someone who obviously took that idea and ran with it. I’m grateful to be portraying a character who’s doing something.”
On how Luz is in service to Cross this season, Mason expanded: “My approach asked the question, ‘How am I, Jeanine, in service to Aldis Hodge? And how is Luz in service to Cross?’ Ben and the writers laid such a beautiful foundation for us and posed those questions to Alex for us, as the audience, to watch him go, ‘Oh, shit, maybe I have more in common with her.’ When portraying her, I really wanted to encapsulate the fact that there’s a lot of anger and a lot of fear. I wanted audiences to be scared of her but also see the grief right away. I wanted you to see the wound and how much she’s carrying.”
On portraying the billionaire antagonist and whether there were any real-life examples used as inspiration, Lillard teased: “I think that your job as an actor is to believe wholeheartedly in your character’s journey. Every bad guy out there, from Darth Vader on, has a reason for what they’re doing. Lance is not a bad guy; he’s literally out there trying to solve world hunger. The clearer the direction is in what he wants, the more you can lean into it. As an actor, that’s what I love. I like making big choices based around a character that has very clear intentions and then giving it my all.”
Lillard continued: “I will say that in the tapestry of this show, it was so lovely to come to set, work, and be embraced as the actor I am and the way I approached that character. It made me feel emboldened. I felt supported, and that’s all you want as an actor, because it allows you to do your best work. In terms of billionaire inspiration, none of those people, in my opinion, are people I really wanted to dig into. The source material that Ben and the writers gave us was so rich that I didn’t really have to, or want to, lean into anyone specifically.”
On adding new characters to the season while continuing previously storylines with existing characters, Watkins alluded: “We were blessed with an amazing cast, and if we’re going to be together for a long time, we need amazing talent and chemistry who can create a family together. When filming the first season, we knew we had the right core crew, and the more we challenged them, the higher they rose. Going into Season Two, we were delighted because when you refresh your cast every season based on the storyline, folks are coming in as series regulars for that season. That is exciting because we start to ask, ‘Okay, what can we add to the mix here?’ And of course, it starts with, ‘What’s the story? Who’s the right person to play that character?’ And that’s where I really lean on the writers. As the script starts to come together and the storylines start to come together, the concept of who the characters are becomes very, very sharp. So, by the time we start the casting process with our casting director, Kim Coleman, we know exactly what we’re looking for, and it’s just a question of whether that person will walk in the door.”
Watkins continued: “For example, Jeanine comes in for a chemistry read, and she’s up against heavyweights. But as soon as she did her performance, we knew she was the person because it clicked.
And when Matthew came in, he had to actually get us to stop thinking about Matt Lillard the person—the icon, the personality—and just be the character. He came in there, and it just completely clicked and changed my mind. Then he walks out, and we’re like, ‘Oh my God, he’s Lance Durand!’ Then the only question is, how are they going to fit and bounce off of each other? Jeanine and Matt were so amazing, it almost made us wish they could be with the show for the rest of the series—the life of the series. One of the things I think has elevated our cast is that they have taken ownership of their characters and are very protective of them. As the characters grow, it has turned this into a collaboration for all of us through these amazing conversations between the writers and the cast all season long, even in between seasons, that really help fuel and build out that journey and the life of the show. When Matthew and Jeanine stepped in, it was the same thing. There was a lot of investment, and we encourage that. We would rather have that time and build-in because it can lead to something so special.”
On the show’s impact, Lillard praised: “I think what makes this show so popular worldwide is that there’s an authenticity about it. What is happening starts with Ben and Aldis. So much of media right now is transactional, but Cross resonates. You’ll sit across from your family after the episode and talk about what’s right and wrong. This show has a real chance to make an impact on the world.”
Mustafa added: “The authenticity Matt spoke of is true. Ben is an extremely authentic person. You get one hundred percent of who he is the minute you meet him, and that is refreshing. You don’t usually get that with most people you work with. So, when you do get that It allows you to be authentic because you can open up and not be afraid to dig deep.”
On the lack of trepidation stepping into the role of Cross, Hodge disclosed: “I try to stay as prepared as possible, so I had no trepidation whatsoever. I’ve been in this business a long time, searching for different vehicles and avenues to sort of execute my own personal ambitions and beliefs. So, when it came to Alex Cross, I think the responsibility that I felt was not to the character so much as it was through the character. What Alex Cross represented to me—being a Black man, a Black father, a Black detective—the relationship we get to see him have with his family, with Sampson, and his fight for love with Elle. All of these aspects of who and what I believe us to be as people, as a culture, as a collective, that’s not always readily represented out there, but it is our truth. It’s nothing new—for us, this is our normal. And we get a chance to actually expose and show people a different side of us that is our dominant normal.”
Hodge continued: “So, for me, when I think about Alex Cross, everything that he has to go through—the vulnerability, accountability, and relatability—all of these things, I see as sort of a conduit or a visage through which I can execute my belief system. I can represent what I believe to be the progressive narrative. So, with Cross, I found a grand opportunity to show who and what we are as a people. When I read the script, I understood that Ben had that very same ambition and respect for elevating and celebrating who we are through what we do. Then our cast all walk in our greatness, and we all walk in how we want to represent ourselves to the world. But we also know the world sees this show as a reflection of how they’re going to engage us. So, if we get to show the better side of that, if we get to show a more positive side of that, that’s something that I want to stand in. I never want to stand and be a part of something that is derogatory, that is going to cause other people harm. You can’t always control the narrative, but you can at least control your space and your participation in that. And if I get to choose, I’m going to choose to be a part of something great. Simple as that.”
On Kayla’s past coming to haunt her this season, Tal informed us: “I think it’s just delightful that we get to explore a little bit of her past and what brought her to this place. Furthermore, we get to explore the choices that she makes now and the prices she has to pay for those choices. I am thrilled and excited with what we’ve done, what Ben wrote, and everything that we’ve created. I hope it’s a fun ride for everyone, and when I say fun, I mean engaging for everyone.”
On Bobby’s additional engagement in Season Two, Gil shared: “I think this season our arcs are a beautiful mess. It’s a thrill to go deeper and explore more layers that show more intersectionality about our communities, and to really embrace the systemic moral ambiguity of whose lives matter. I think, you
know, Brother Ben is amazing at what he puts down on the page. A lot of places in Hollywood are scared to go to the places that we go on this show—immigration, migrants, women, and the Black community, etc. These are things that need to be explored, and from my perspective, especially with Bobby Trey, it’s just exciting to be a representation of the community and the truths that we’re dealing with on a day-to day basis.”
On Sampson and Cross’s interactions and how he creatively collaborates with Hodge, Mustafa said: “To be honest, I rely on Aldis a lot. Everything that he brings to the character informs what I need to do as an actor and what I need to do in character as Sampson. We talk about our approach and raise each other’s levels. We’re blessed when it comes to this type of teamwork.”
Hodge chimed in: “Can I piggyback on that real quick? Because yes, the show’s called Cross, but each of us individually are leads in leading positions. We occupy different vehicles for how the show needs to run, and I equally depend on Isaiah. I depend on my cast to show up. When it comes to the relationship between Sampson and Cross, it’s purely fueled by the real relationship Isaiah and I have offscreen. We hold each other down; we’re brothers in arms.”
Hodge added: “And like he was saying, when we get into scenes together and we’re duking it out, for us, the fun is knowing that first of all, we trust each other, we respect each other, and we both need each other to be equally strong. So, when we’re like, ‘Yo, we want to push this scene to this level,’ as he said, I’ll be like, ‘Yo, I’m gonna go here. What are you doing?’ He’s like, ‘I’ma go here.’ So, we have the same
reliance and dependence on one another in that we need each other to be as strong as we can be to keep each other sharp for as long as we can. I rely on him just the same as he relies on me. We’re a team; we gotta show up for each other.”
Matthew Lillard concluded: “In thirty-five years in this industry, I’ve never seen a more symbiotic cast from production down. From the showrunner to the writers on down, every single person here is reliant and dependent on each other to be great. And I think that if you look around a lot of shows, people aren’t talking in between takes. People are talking about craft and about being brilliant. I do think that if you don’t try to be incredible, you’re never going to be anything better than good. And I think when you see forty million people watching a show in the first twenty days, something’s resonating. I think it’s built on this expression of being the best of the best that you keep hearing reiterated and echoed here today.”
Catch Season 2 of Cross when the first 3 episodes drop on Prime Video on February 11th!
Editor’s Note: This coverage reflects a condensed summary of the press conference. Some remarks have been paraphrased or edited for clarity and flow.
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