Photo: Rich Polk (Getty Images)
One of the most talented and aspiring actors today, Aldis Hodge, became known to the wider audience thanks to his portrayal of MC Ren in the biographical film called Straight Outta Compton about one of the most influential rap group in history – N.W.A. Besides that, in the recent years, Aldis has appeared in a number of TV shows and films, his latest one being the Oscar-nominated Hidden Figures that looks at the life of African-American women who were essential for NASA’s space race. However, Aldis Hodge has been around for quite a while, starting his career as a child and slowly making his way to stardom. Here’s where you might have seen him but didn’t know it was him.
Die Hard
In 1995, when he was only 9 years old, Aldis Hodge starred in one of the biggest action films of the time, the third part of the Die Hard franchise with Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson in leading roles. If you remember Die Hard with a Vengeance, Aldis was one of Zeus’ two nephews near the start of the film who are taught a lesson about stealing before one of them notices John McClane across the street. In fact, Aldis appeared with his older brother – Edwin Hodge, who is also a prolific young actor. Interestingly, a couple of years later, Aldis Hodge starred in A Good Day to Die Hard portraying Foxy, a military officer who helps out John’s son – Jack.
Various Appearances in TV Shows
Over the years, Hodge also appeared in some of the most popular shows on TV at the time. You probably noticed him in shows like NYPD Blue, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Judging Amy, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Becker, Charmed, ER, and much more. He was a part of the main cast in the animated show A.T.O.M. (Alpha Teens on Machines) portraying King, the oldest member of this group of teenage fighters. Later on, Hodge also guest starred in other popular shows like Numb3rs, Bones, Supernatural, Castle, Private Practice, and even appeared in one episode of the award-winning The Walking Dead. These occasional performances prepared him for lead roles a few years later.
Leverage
The year 2008 was an important year for Hodge, as he finally got to be in the main cast of a fairly successful show which lasted for 5 seasons. The show follows a group of vigilantes who use their unique talents to fight the Government’s oppression and help ordinary people. The leader of this group is Nathan Ford, a former insurance fraud investigator who decided to punish the system after it refused to help his terminally ill son. His group consists of a grifter, hacker, hitter and a thief. Together, they are unstoppable, but thankfully they use their powers for good. Aldis Hodge plays the hacker, Alec Hardison, a geek and sci-fi lover whose intelligence is sometimes overwhelming. He is overly attached to his electronics, as well as his van “Lucille,” considering them far superior to people. The show ended after 5 seasons due to low rating, but fortunately, Hodge found another project to work on.
Straight Outta Compton
One of the most anticipated biopics Straight Outta Compton was released in 2015. The film follows the members of the group called N.W.A. that basically started the gangsta rap. The group originally consisted of Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Arabian Prince and Ice Cube, but was later reinforced with MC Ren, and DJ Yella. The name of the film comes from the group’s debut album, released back in 1988. Dr. Dre and Ice Cube produced the film, along with Eazy-E’s widow, while the other two members served as creative consultants. Aldis Hodge portrayed MC Ren in the movie and received praise for his role. Straight Outta Compton currently holds the score of 7.9 on IMDB.
Underground
In 2016 Aldis began working on a show called Underground that followed a group of African Americans during the Civil War who decided to travel north in search of freedom. Aldis played Noah, a confident, capable and restless black man who acts as the group’s driving force. Despite having fairly good ratings, the show was canceled after just two seasons.
It appears that Aldis Hodge will move away from his usual drama/thriller style as he is set to appear in a family comedy next year by the name of Magic Camp. Do you think we’ll be seeing more of him in the future?
