LONDON (AP) — Corrupt billionaires get their comeuppance in the new season of “Cross,” with Aldis Hodge returning as the detective and forensic psychologist working complex homicides in Washington, D.C.
This series, which arrives Feb. 11 on Prime sees Cross investigating a violent vigilante targeting abusers who get away with bad behavior because they're uber wealthy. While it’s not based specifically on the exploits of Jeffrey Epstein, the star thinks there are certainly some parallels.
“There’s a crazy sort of chance happening with the timing because, when the story was developed, this was prior to a lot of things that have been revealed as of late,” explains Hodge.
In fact, Season 2 was wrapped in 2024, long before the latest Epstein files were released.
Hodge says he hopes to “bring a little bit more awareness to what’s going on so people can stop turning a blind eye to some of these things and at least try to move to make a real difference.”
The first season did so well the actor has been recognized as the TV incarnation of author James Patterson’s Alex Cross around the world, including by soccer superstar Thierry Henry (Hodge asked for a selfie or his mom would have killed him, he says.)
The Associated Press spoke to Hodge about his on-set book club, action scenes and what he really wants for his birthday. This conversation has been edited for clarity and brevity.
HODGE: I was very pleased and very surprised, to be honest. I’m particularly surprised about the international crossover. … I’ve been between here (London) and Paris in my time these last couple of months, and there’s a lot of love for the show internationally, which is, I don’t know why it’s so shocking to me, but I just didn’t realize it would have that much crossover appeal. It shows me exactly how effective the right kind of storytelling can be across different lands.
HODGE: I was in Paris and there was a French police officer who came up to me and was like, “Cross!” I was like wait, what? It was cool to me because the fact that we do get to have that real honest conversation. I know a lot of police officers and servicemen and women who get into the game for the right reasons and want to do the job the right way. And they’re very open and honest about the challenges that they face within the regime. And a lot them are looking to feel understood or heard.
HODGE: It’s mostly the people. We have a fantastic cast, our crew is amazing. I actually enjoy spending time with my cast. And we have our own little pockets, you know what I’m saying, like I got a little book club going with my boys on there, you know what I mean? Then some of us, we get out, we go and do the training, or we go have some dinners. But we really just enjoy one another. We all support each other too,
HODGE: I was channeling my inner Tom Cruise, you know. … No, my mom actually, she used to be a competitive runner with track and field, and then she used to be a track and field coach. I was, like, I gotta make mom proud. You know, make sure that my arms is doing what they gotta do … look — run once or twice, ah you good. To run about 10 takes in, you start to feel it. And that’s when your body says, “Hey, man, you getting old, sit down, OK?”
HODGE: Absolutely. The crazy thing is we get a lot of love from people who they watch this together. Or what I hear most often, usually from men, is that they’re like, “Yo man, I’ll be at work. I was waiting to watch it with my girl but when I came home she had already watched the episode so now we fighting because she was supposed to wait for me. … So now I ain’t talking to my girl because of your show.” I’m like, “We trying to bring people together.”
HODGE: My biggest aim for 40 is just hoping that my knees and my back work. I’m going to tell you, it is not fun when you wake up and you hurt yourself just getting out of bed. Ain’t nothing cute about that at all. So I just want my knees to work. You know what I’m saying? I got a 4-year-old who always wants to be picked up, but she doesn’t understand daddy’s old, OK? Daddy’s body is broke, OK, so I’m trying to just be able to keep up with her. But that’s really it, yeah. I just need the knees.
FILE - Aldis Hodge poses for a portrait in Los Angeles on Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
FILE - Aldis Hodge poses for a portrait in Los Angeles on Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
FILE - Aldis Hodge poses for a portrait in Los Angeles on Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
Thousands of Catholic devotees commemorated Good Friday across Latin America with processions and ceremonies re-enacting the crucifixion of Jesus.
In Antigua, a colonial-era city in southern Guatemala, dozens dressed in purple and white robes and made their way under the early morning sun, many of them penitents known as “cucuruchos.” Others carried centuries-old images of Jesus through cobblestone streets.
The city hosts more than a dozen processions throughout Holy Week, set against a backdrop of volcanoes.
Marcos Bautista, 63, said he has attended the Good Friday observances since his father brought him along as a baby in his arms.
“To describe Holy Week in Antigua, there are no words that can capture what it feels like," Bautista said. “It’s a feeling that, just by speaking about what Jesus has done in our lives, moves me deeply.”
In Bolivia, President Rodrigo Paz traveled to the southern city of Tarija to participate in Good Friday ceremonies.
The country is a secular state under its constitution and its leaders refrained from engaging in any religious events between 2006 and 2025. But Paz — who took office last November — broke with precedent by attending Palm Sunday Mass carrying a palm frond.
In the capital city of La Paz, government authorities and military bands accompanied Good Friday processions, in which hooded penitents carried the Holy Sepulcher through the streets.
Bolivia remains a predominantly Catholic country, alongside strong Indigenous spiritual traditions. In some households, it is customary to eat only fish on Good Friday and prepare up to 12 dishes representing the apostles of Jesus, a tradition that has declined in recent years amid an economic crisis.
In Ecuador, where about 80% of the population identifies as Catholic, processions were held across major cities.
In Guayaquil, roughly half a million faithful attended the “Cristo del Consuelo” procession. Amid displays of devotion, some participants walked barefoot, while others wore thorn crowns or dragged crosses.
In the capital, Quito, the “Jesús del Gran Poder” procession drew more than 150,000 faithful, who filled the historic center’s streets with chants and prayers as they accompanied an image of Jesus carrying the cross.
Thousands more climbed the Monserrate Hill in neighboring Colombia. At more than 10,200 feet (3,100 meters) above sea level, they reached the summit in the capital city of Bogotá to attend Mass at the basilica. Similar observances, including reenactments of the Stations of the Cross, were held in other parts of the country, including Medellín.
While the share of Catholics in Latin America has declined over the past decade, the faith remains the region’s largest religion.
In several countries, including Mexico, Peru and Argentina, more than 60% of adults still identify as Catholic, according to 2024 surveys by the Pew Research Center and Latinobarómetro.
AP journalists Moisés Castillo in Antigua, Guatemala; Carlos Valdez in La Paz, Bolivia; Gonzalo Solano and Gabriela Molina, in Quito, Ecuador, contributed to this report.
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Penitents from the Nazareno brotherhood carry a statue of Jesus down the steps of the Cathedral Basilica of St. James the Apostle for a Good Friday procession during Holy Week in Tunja, Colombia, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
A hooded penitent from the Nazareno brotherhood waits for the Good Friday procession inside the Cathedral Basilica of St. James the Apostle during Holy Week in Tunja, Colombia, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Young women and girls carry jeweled hearts representing the Virgin Mary at a Good Friday procession during Holy Week in La Paz, Bolivia, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
Hooded penitents participate in a Good Friday procession during Holy Week in La Paz, Bolivia, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
A statue of Jesus Christ with a cross makes its way past electric cables at La Merced church's Good Friday procession during Holy Week in Antigua, Guatemala, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Women carry children dressed as penitents knows as "cucuruchos" on the sidelines of La Merced church's Good Friday procession during Holy Week in Antigua, Guatemala, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Penitents carry statues of Jesus Christ representing the Stations of the Cross at a Good Friday procession by La Merced church during Holy Week in Antigua, Guatemala, just before sunrise Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Musicians dressed as Roman soldiers take part in La Merced church's Good Friday procession during Holy Week in Antigua, Guatemala, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
