Fighting the good fight and doing the right thing was the way Screen Actors Guild Award-winning actor Aldis Hodge was raised. It is also why Hodge can relate to his character in the new drama series, “City on a Hill,” also starring actor Kevin Bacon, which airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on Showtime cable network.
Hodge plays Decourcy Ward, an assistant district attorney from Brooklyn who comes to Boston as part of the St. Clair Commission. The commission has recommended mass reform of the Boston Police Department. Ward’s strong moral compass is paired with the ethically questionable tactics of Bacon’s character, Jackie, an FBI veteran. Together, they take on a family of armored car robbers in a case that grows to involve, and ultimately subvert, the entire criminal justice system of Boston.
“The character has to engage a darker part to deal in this world,” Hodge said. “As an actor, that is where I have to develop the character.
“I want people to take in the show,” Hodge said. “It’s a really bold crime drama and looks like a movie on TV. Kevin is awesome and a legend in the game. He embodied his character.”
Rising Career
Hodge is no stranger to working with legends in the game. In 2017, Hodge was seen in the critically acclaimed film “Hidden Figures” alongside Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monáe. The film received three Oscar nominations including best picture, two Golden Globe nominations, in addition to winning a SAG award for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture as well as an NAACP Award for outstanding motion picture.
In February, Hodge again starred with Henson in the film “What Men Want,” produced by Will Packer, whose other producing credits include the films “Think Like a Man,” “Girls Trip,” “Ride Along” and “Night School.”
“I learned who she was in a deeper way as an actress,” said Hodge, about starring with Henson the second time around. “She is giving and excited when it comes to the craft. She gives you the room to develop and do your job better.”
Known for his role in the series “Underground,” Hodge has also starred in several television series and films. He starred in “Straight Outta Compton” portraying MC Ren, a member of the pioneering rap group, N.W.A. The film was nominated for an Oscar, a PGA and SAG Award as well as won the NAACP Award for outstanding motion picture. Hodge has also appeared in the films “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back,” “Die Hard with a Vengeance,” and “Big Momma’s House.” He also appeared in several television shows including the Emmy award-winning series “Black Mirror,” “Friday Night Lights,” “Girlfriends” and the “Walking Dead.”
Brian Banks Story
This August, Hodge will star in “The Brian Banks Story,” a feature film based on the life story of Banks’ dreams to play in the NFL being halted when he is wrongly convicted and sent to prison. Years later, he fights to clear his name within an unjust system.
Banks spent five years and two months in prison and five years on monitored parole before his accuser admitted she had falsely accused hims and that the alleged rape never took place. His conviction was overturned with the help of the California Innocence Project in 2012.
Banks was able to sign with the Atlanta Falcons in 2013 and played in four preseason games before being released. The next year, he joined the National Football League’s Department of Operations.
“He was falsely accused of a crime and he was exonerated,” Hodge said.