The Cast of ‘Cross’ Gets Real About Vengeance and Brotherhood in Season 2
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The cast and creative team behind Prime Video’s ‘Cross’ gathered to discuss the upcoming second season at The Culver Theater on January 28. Executive Producer and Showrunner Ben Watkins and star Aldis Hodge led the conversation, which felt less like a press event and more like a family reunion.
For those playing catch-up, Season 2 raises the stakes significantly: D.C. detective Alex Cross is now tracking a ruthless vigilante who is systematically murdering corrupt billionaires, a case that eventually entangles business titan Lance Durand, played by the legendary Matthew Lillard.
Prime Video’s “Cross” and Peacock’s “The Day of the Jackal,” premiering Thursday, are cat-and-mouse stories, though exactly who is the cat and who the mouse is a revolving situation.
While Season 1 focused on a “Hero Complex,” Watkins explained that the new season explores a theme they call “bitter fruit,” forcing the audience to struggle with the fine line between law and justice. He noted that while they borrow the characters from a book series written by James Patterson, the stories are original to the writer’s room.
“Season 2 is bitter fruit. And it’s because there’s a huge thematic storyline in there that is about vengeance. It is about vigilantism, and it raises questions about the difference between the law and justice. And then if you take justice into your own hands, if you take it too far, what happens?” asked Ben Watkins, executive producer.
The night took a poignant turn when Hodge discussed the evolution of his character, Alex Cross. He connected the fictional detective’s struggle of trying to be excellent while internally broken to the very real fatigue often felt by Black men in America.
At a time of political upheaval, the political thriller on television and film is both a reflection of, and an escape from, turbulent times.
“Our hope is constantly challenged, it’s constantly beaten down, it’s constantly oppressed ... but the point of the oppression is to make us fatigued, to tire us out so we can stop believing in ourselves, so we can stop believing in our capabilities. It takes a few of us to push forward through that to know that in spite of it all, we still are capable,” said Hodge.
Despite the heavy themes, the chemistry on stage was undeniable, particularly with new addition Matthew Lillard, who joked that joining an established cast usually feels like “visiting somebody else’s Thanksgiving.” However, he described the “Cross” set as uniquely welcoming, a sentiment echoed by Isaiah Mustafa (John Sampson) and Jeanine Mason (Luz). You can catch all the action when Season 2 drops on Prime Video on February 11.
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