Exclusive: Aldis Hodge On Leverage: Redemption, Black Adam, and Career Evolution
Hitting IMDB TV on July 9 is the first eight episodes of Leverage: Redemption, a reimagining of Dean Devlin, John Rogers and Chris Downey’s cult 2008 crime drama series. Leverage. Leverage: Redemption, with five-time Emmy nominee Noah Wyle and original series cast members Beth Riesgraf, Gina Bellman, Christian Kane and Aldis Hodge, will premiere Friday, July 9 on Amazon’s free ad-supported streaming service.
In this new iteration, and new world, the Leverage crew have watched as the rich and powerful continue to take what they want without consequence. Grifter Sophie Devereaux (Gina Bellman), thief Parker (Beth Riesgraf), hitter Eliot Spencer (Christian Kane), and hacker Alec Hardison (Aldis Hodge) have watched the world change over the last eight years.
Since their last job, it’s become easier – and sometimes legal – for the rich to become richer and the powerful to squash anyone who gets in their way. To address the changes in the world around them, the team finds new blood in Harry Wilson (Noah Wyle), a corporate lawyer who is looking for redemption after realizing he’d been sitting on the wrong side of the table for his entire career, and Breanna Casey (Aleyse Shannon), Hardison’s foster sister who has a knack for computers, robotics, and getting into trouble.
Kate Rorick and Dean Devlin serve as co-showrunners and executive producers. Marc Roskin and Rachel Olschan-Wilson also serve as executive produce
For Hodge, who appeared as Alec Hardison in all 77 episodes of the original series, his career has skyrocketed since the series ended in 2012. He had a recurring role in AMC’s Turn: Washington's Spies before landing the lead role of Noah in Misha Green’s WGN short-lived series Underground. He currently plays Decourcy Ward opposite Kevin Bacon in Showtime’s City on a Hill, which was just renewed for a third season.
On the film side, he played MC Ren in the blockbuster film Straight Outta Compton, was featured opposite Tom Cruise in Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, co-starred with Taraji P. Henson and Octavia Spencer in the Oscar nominated film Hidden Figures, and teamed up again with Henson in What Men Want. Other film credits include Clemency, The Invisible Man, and Regina King’s One Night in Miami. He’s set to played Carter Hall/ Hawkman opposite Dwayne Johnson in the DC film Black Adam.
BlackFilmandTV.com caught up with Hodge as he spoke about returning to Leverage: Redemption, Black Adam and his career thus far.
Did you ever think the series would get a comeback?
Aldis Hodge: Anything is possible. I know that the fans have been asking for the show for years. I wasn't entirely surprised that it actually came back because the potential is there. How lucky are we that this actually happened? This is so rare. I was shocked when, when Dean (Devlin) called me and said, "Look, we're getting the gang back together." I said, "Wow, really?" So it was really awesome because this is one of those once in a lifetime opportunities that doesn't really come around often. It's something that I was shocked by, but at the same time, it makes absolute sense because the fan love and support is so massive.
How has your character Alec Hardison changed over the years?
Aldis Hodge: So there's a graduation of what Leverage was when it started right now. Harrison, Parker and Eliot run Leverage International. That's where we left off in the season finale of the old series. That's where they stand. They have hundreds of individual Leverage International teams around the world that they manage and that they oversee. They’re knocking out corruption in every part of the world, simultaneously, so the business has expanded. It really has exploded. With Hardison, he has just really cemented himself and the responsibility that he carries with this mission. You see the maturity in terms of him understanding the value of what it is they do, and the importance to keep it going. But you still get that same movement and that same camaraderie and the same back and forth banter and antics that we love to come to see every single week.
How was it getting back on set and seeing basically what you call your your first family that you've worked with back again?
Aldis Hodge: It was awesome and fantastic because for us all trying to get back to energy, and making sure that we were bringing the same spirits that we brought so many years ago, it was great fun. We just slipped into it naturally. Again, it was really surreal being able to see that unfold with everybody was it was really fantastic. Plus, we also have new cast members to also work alongside with Aleyse Shannon, who plays my sister Breanna. We've got Noah Wyle, and they just rolled with the punches. They just naturally folded in there as well.
You started out with this being an ensemble series, and then you went on to a starring role on The Underground and now with City on a Hill. Does it feel different coming back to an ensemble series?
Aldis Hodge: No. The feeling for me is why I'm there. For a great portion of my career, I'm there for me and my purpose. I'm there because I choose to be there because I’m happy there and because I want to be there. With the jobs that I do, I've been fortunate enough to be in a position to pick what I love. Now, that doesn't come without sacrifice. Sometimes you got to step back and be like, "Well, I'm not gonna take this job because it doesn't sit right with my spirit." I eat for a couple months. But I've been fortunate enough to keep consistent work that is both nurturing financially and emotionally and spiritually. So with this, whether it's a film or TV show or Leverage, I'm there because I choose to be and I'm really happy and grateful that I'm doing what I want for me. It’s a part of the purpose of trying to get to a certain place that I know. I'm trying to get to I'm beyond myself, a place where I can help other people.
Congratulations on City On A Hill being renewed for a third season. How exciting is that?
Aldis Hodge: Thank you. I'm really happy about that. i was recently in New York with our showrunner talking. So really happy to come back come back in a different seat. Last year I was a co-executive producer and this year, I'm a full fledged executive producer. I have a new responsibility that I'll be walking into, and just looking forward to whatever that is going to go.
When you saw how they tackled last year in terms of the plot, how do you up the ante now for season three?
Aldis Hodge: We stay true to my nature. Everybody's on deck in and on board to really make sure that we do that, when it comes to raising the stakes. But honestly, we don't have to dig too deep. We just have tp look at the paper because we pull out our stories from real events. That happened in Boston, and we don't retell those events. directly. We take inspiration from those events. Boston gives us a lot of great material, and all we do is take it and execute.
If we don’t get to see you on the small screen, we’ll see you on the big one. Are you still working out for Black Adam?
Aldis Hodge: I got to stay working out. With this, I knew it was going to be like five or six months in terms of working on it. That means five, six months of constantly working on staying in shape because not only do you have to get in shape, but you have to prepare your body to working 10 hours a day, shooting in the hot sun and wearing maybe 15-20 pounds of armor. Being in a harness and, and physically you have to stay fit, and you got to keep pumping maintenance. Working out is a part of the job and daily conditioning is a part of the job. So it never stops until you're at the premiere.
Are we going to see any pictures of you with the same arms as Dwayne Johnson?
Aldis Hodge: Can’t tough DJ. My arms are good enough for me.
How much more have you learned about your character since getting the role?
Aldis Hodge: I learned absolutely everything there is to know about Hawkman. There's a lot to know because he has so many different potential backstories; from being an Egyptian. Naturally, he reincarnate. His first original form was an Egyptian, when he first encountered anti-gravity metal, but there are different stories where there's another universe where he comes from being authentic art, which is sort of an alien race where they have these wings. So there's a few different histories to go off of them. There's a lot to learn. It's all fun to learn. I'm happy that that's a part of the job where I can go and say, hey, look, reading comics is now part of my job. But at the end of the day, what a blessing to be put in a position to have to have to add this to my daily routine. But I'm up on my stuff. At least I try to because I know if I get to Comic Con they are going to tear me apart.
Here's the thing people need to understand about me. I started off my career because I was trying to work so I could get Batman toys. I literally did my first job to get a Batman toy. Batman was my guy. I grew up on graphic novels. I'm like a graphic novel head. I grew up on anime. I'm developing an anime series right now. When it came to this particular character, I just had to get a little bit more specific, because I wasn't as familiar with him as I was with other characters before finding out about this job. But, nonetheless, I’m always ready.
Within the last five years, your status has blown up with the projects you’ve taken. Where do you feel your career is at because it's never going to stop, and you're getting more roles, and more visibility?
Aldis Hodge: I feel like I'm in a good natural pocket for the growth. It's what I have been working towards in terms of getting a nice rhythm and a nice flow. So I've positioned myself to do what I want to do and what I choose to do, instead of doing what I have to do. I'm in a good evolutionary position where I still have a lot to learn. I have a lot to grow into, by but I'm in a good position to grow at my own pace.