Quotes from Aldis Hodge

I feel Noah has been alone for the majority of his life and inherently searching for a family, even though he may not express that outwardly. But his encounter with Rosalee gave him hope in finding someone who thinks like him.

My brother does a series of movies called 'The Purge,' and they have the third one coming out this year, and then also he'll be starring in the second season of 'Secrets and Lies.' We want each other to win because we are a team, and this is how we've been since day one. That's the end game for all of us in the Hodge house.

As an actor, it's very rare that you get a choice in a matter. But you're always looking for something that has some gravitas.

I'm not a starstuck dude. I've been in this game too long for that, but I do respect and acknowledge real work and real work ethic.

I think that my humble beginnings were very deliberate, and I'm grateful for them because I'm not sure I would see my achievements the same way if they were handed to me. I'm not sure my work ethic would be the same.

The danger in having modern music tied to a period piece is that hearing something may take you out of the moment.

A lot of people are afraid of the idea of enslavement, and that's because it's tied to so much shame and guilt... That is the big elephant in the room, but a part of why we're afraid to attack that subject matter is because of the way we've been taught about it.

New Orleans is New Orleans. It's a great city and fun and great food. It's one of those cities that when you are working hard hours like we work, you have to do as much as possible to stay out of trouble. Not much of a problem for me, but in New Orleans, trouble tries so much to find you.

A new setting is amazing cause it's new for the team, and it's new for our characters. It's a breakaway from the normal deal. You get so tired, locked into a show for so many years. You get used to doing the same thing. A little shake-up and change is good.

I was too young to understand who Sam[uel L.] Jackson was or who Bruce Willis was, who Jeremy Irons was at the time. All I knew was that they were good to me then.

Nothing in my life has necessarily been easy, but eventually I see where it's gotten me to, and I say, 'Okay, it's been worth it.'

For me personally, the way I've been trained, just through life experience - the harder something is, the harder you have to work for it, the more worthwhile it is, and you just have to know that going in.

I don't understand actors who complain when they get work. 'I'm working too much. I've got to get up too early ...' Isn't this the point? There's somebody right now who's bussing tables who would love your problems.

Most people say they're slaves, but in my opinion, to say that I am a slave is to take ownership of actually being a slave - to be a tool, be a thing. Basically cattle.

There's a really great documentary called 'Many Rivers,' which documents the totality of slavery from its inception, and then it gives you a little history on how America came to prominence. It's crazy - the first black man to actually step foot in America came as a free man, as an explorer, with the Spaniards.

I've been a writer since I was 13. I've been writing scripts and having pitch meetings. So, when I do see people like Brit Marling getting things done, it lets me know that it's possible. It basically just tells me, 'Dude, get to work!' For some reason, I think that I'm not doing enough work.

Sometimes there's something that a writer doesn't see or a producer doesn't see when he's looking at a shot.

I remember, growing up as a kid, history class was very washed-over. They didn't really get into the gritty bits of slavery. It's a very, very small section in the history books. It's not something they really touch on directly with American curriculums.

For some reason, I think that I'm not doing enough work. People are like, 'You're on a series right now,' but I'm always like, 'Yeah, but I can do more!'

As far as my contribution to this industry, I want to be like Dean Devlin, John Rogers, and Chris Downey. I want to give people jobs and put them on great shows. I want to create careers for people.

You're living with these characters for years and years, you need to have a lock on who they are as people, what they like, what they don't like, what they experience, and what they go through.

It's crazy how intelligent kids can be at a very young age and how they know what they know.

My standard for the women in my life is like, 'If no man can treat you better than I can treat you, they can't come.' You gotta step up to the plate. With respect, with acknowledgment, with support.

You can't just look like one culture and expect to inspire a multitude of people. That doesn't work over time. Everybody wants somebody to look up to that looks like them so they can truly believe in that reality for themselves.