Cross creator Ben Watkins is teasing Matthew Lillard’s new role on the Prime Video crime series and how it differs from the characters he’s played before.
Cross, which has been adapted from James Patterson’s bestselling Alex Cross novels, debuted in 2024, with Aldis Hodge taking over the titular role from Morgan Freeman and Tyler Perry, who played the character in the films. Lillard is a new cast member in Cross season 2, with the premiere now available to stream on Prime Video.
In an interview with ScreenRant‘s Ash Crossan for Cross season 2, Watkins, who also executive-produces the series, gave a lot of insight into Lillard’s new role, in which he plays a billionaire businessman named Lance Durand who starts being sent death threats. Alex and Kayla Craig are tasked with protecting him as they begin a murder investigation.
Watkins admitted he was “immediately intrigued” when Lillard’s name was first mentioned as a possible new addition to the series. The producer has followed the actor’s career his entire life. “He’s one of those people that has become a cult of personality,” Watkins said. “He’s an icon a little bit.”
When Watkins thinks of Lillard, he thinks of the actor first before the character. As a result, it was important for Lillard to go through a chemistry read with Hodge to ensure he truly was the right fit to play Durand.
The chemistry read turned out to be a powerful moment during the casting process because Lillard easily melted into the role, with Watkins no longer seeing the movie and TV star.
“When Matthew Lillard’s name came up as a possible actor for this role, I was immediately intrigued, but also a little bit like, ‘How can he do that?’ And it was because I’ve been following Matthew literally my whole life. He’s one of those people that has become a cult of personality. He’s an icon a little bit. And so for a lot of us, and I bet you can relate, you think Matthew Lillard first and then the character, right? And so for me, it was like, ‘He’s going to have to read and then we will see.”
“And so he came in and did a chemistry read with Aldis. Even in the chemistry read, he made me forget it was Matthew Lillard. I’m kind of geeking out. I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, Matthew Lillard.’ I love all this stuff he’s been in. My kids love him. It’s crazy how all these generations love him.”
The producers on Cross purposefully gave Lillard a character that required “a lot of nuance and a lot of grounding, and really portraying something that people haven’t really seen from him a lot.” Cut to the filming process, and the actor “nailed” the performance, which fans can now watch on Prime Video.
Lillard is an actor with a long career that has spanned decades. With roles in Scream, Scooby-Doo, The Descendants, Five Nights at Freddy’s, The Life of Chuck, Bosch and Good Girls, he’s “connected with all these generations in a way that very few artists have.” That range and generational appeal also helped him land the role of Durand.
“So then he’s halfway through a chemistry read, and I’m not thinking Matthew Lillard anymore. I’m thinking Lance Durand. He nailed that character. And then to watch him work, and then you understand this is why he has a career that has passed through all these generations, and he’s connected with all these generations in a way that very few artists have. He has something very true, and he’s very committed to the game. So we gave him a character that was going to require a lot of nuance and a lot of grounding, and really portraying something that people haven’t really seen from him a lot. He ran headlong into that and really nailed it. It was so fun to see, and also just to have him on set every day. Such a great presence to have on set when you have someone who’s been in the business so long and they still show up every day like it’s their first day. It’s Christmas Day. It’s really refreshing.”
Coming into Cross season 2, Watkins was excited to unravel the season-long mystery and to see the new cast members shine in their roles, including Jeanine Mason as Rebecca Luz, Rene Moran as Lincoln Esteban and Lillard as Durand.
“We’re going to put this in two categories. You’ve got the mystery, and there’s a great mystery, and the people in that storyline are amazing, and all of those dynamics work for me in an amazing way, starting with the vigilante character, Luz, and she has people working with her. She has W. Earl Brown, who’s an unlikely ally, and there’s an amazing wildcard character. Rene Moran plays Lincoln in this season, and then you have the Lance Durand component played by Matthew Lillard. That whole dynamic is amazing to me. Now, that’s a season two–specific dynamic.”
Aside from those new cast members, Cross season 2 will also showcase the returning characters’ evolving dynamics, like John Sampson (Isaiah Mustafa), who had to support Alex in the first season, but now the roles are reversed.
And for Cross and Kayla, who used to share a “friendly” competition, they will now be butting heads in an unhealthy way this season. Fortunately, “there’s also a chemistry with them that, when they work, is just undeniable,” Watkins said.
“Now on the series thing, the continuation of the character dynamics. I love how Sampson’s the one with the emotional burden in season two, and a dynamic where he had to really support Cross in season 1 sort of gets flipped a little bit, and now Cross has to be there for him in season 2. I love that. And I also love how we unfold a little bit more of the dynamic between Cross and Kayla. These are two coworkers who have a history coming into the show, and now season two adds a layer to this that has some real wrinkles to it because there’s a competition that’s normally friendly with them and it feels like it’s getting unfriendly, but there’s also a chemistry with them that, when they work, is just undeniable.”
Cross season 2 will see Alex back on the scene as the skilled detective. This time around, he’s trying to protect billionaire Durand after several of his peers are killed. Based on Watkins’ comments to ScreenRant, fans should expect a captivating performance from Lillard as he steps into the shoes of a billionaire.
New episodes of Cross season 2 are released every Wednesday on Prime Video.
- Release Date
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November 14, 2024
- Network
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Prime Video
- Directors
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Craig Siebels, Nzingha Stewart
- Writers
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Ben Watkins
- Franchise(s)
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Alex Cross
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Isaiah Mustafa
John Sampson
