[Editor’s note: The following contains major spoilers for Marmalade.]

The Big Picture

Aldis Hodge enjoyed the unexpected nature of the film and the freedom to make a fool of himself on set.
Hodge found the script for ‘Marmalade’ well-written and liked that it was a caper film that made people think.
The actor praises his co-star Joe Keery for their chemistry and back-and-forth improvisation.

From wrier/director Keir O’Donnell, the indie flick Marmalade is a crime caper intertwined with a twisted tale of romance, wrapped in a very unexpected bow. When the recently incarcerated Baron (Joe Keery) gets chatty with his cellmate Otis (Aldis Hodge) and shares his very Bonnie and Clyde love story in the hopes that he’ll help him escape, a series of events are set in motion that send the usual tropes spiraling and lead Otis to question what’s really going on.

During this super spoilery interview with Collider, Hodge talked about his attraction to the unexpected natura of Marmalade, the fun in having the freedom to take risks, how he approached building his character, and building a camaraderie with his improvising partner Keery. He also discussed getting edgy with his upcoming Prime Video series Cross, the opportunity he’s had to stretch his wings on Leverage over the years, as he returns for Season 3 of Leverage: Redemption, and the huge education that he and brother Edwin Hodge received while making Parallel, which they also co-wrote and produced.

Marmalade Follows a man in jail who narrates the colorful tale of a romantic bank heist to his cunning cellmate to escape and reunite with the alluring love of his life.Release Date February 8, 2024 Director Keir O’Donnell Runtime 99 minutes Writers Keir O’Donnell

Aldis Hodge Was Drawn in by the Unexpected Nature of ‘Marmalade’

Image via Signature Entertainment

Collider: I had no idea what to expect going into this and I think that’s the best way to see this movie. It’s such a different approach to what you think you’re going to get. Was this character as much fun to play as he seems like he would have been?

ALDIS HODGE: Absolutely. The unexpected nature of the film is a big part of the reason I joined the film. After I read the script, I had a lot of fun with it and I was like, “Okay, there’s a lot we can do with this, in terms of finding moments to really build out.” Otis is somebody who takes himself a little serious and he takes his job very seriously, but that’s a part of the fun. People take themselves way too seriously. He’s in a performative state, and he’s trying too hard with some things and needs to pull back on some things. Being able to have the freedom to just make a fool of yourself a little bit and do so comfortably, that is where the magic is made on sets. It’s where you take risks, and you see what becomes of it, and we had the freedom to do that. (Writer/director) Keir [O’Donnell] gave us the runway to build out these characters and fill them up.

When you got this script and sat down to read it, what did you know about it? Did you get that same sense of surprise reading or did they give you some information first?

HODGE: I didn’t know anything about it. My team had read the script and they said, “Look, we found something we think is really great. It’s really fun. It’s something you haven’t done in your career yet. Just take a look.” When I first started reading the script, it was well-written but I had just finished playing somebody who was in prison and I was like, “I don’t know if I wanna go right back.” But then, when I got into it, I was like, “Oh, I get it.” The bait and switch added a cool factor to the whole script. And then, when I got further in, I was like, “Oh, yeah, this is it.” I like caper films. I like things that are smart and intellectual, and make you think about people and how they process things differently. It was a good film to be part of.

Related ‘Marmalade’ Review: Joe Keery Headlines a Twisty and Darkly Comic Thriller What starts off as another ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ riff turns into something far more interesting in writer-director Keir O’Donnell’s debut feature.

One of the genius things about it is that it leans into certain characterizations and tropes while also flipping them upside down at the same time. Was that always very clearly laid out? Was this a character that was very well-defined or did you have some freedom with what you wanted to do with him?

HODGE: That, in itself, was one of the primary and earliest discussions with Keir, in terms of tone. How do we hit this note and have fun with it, without making fun of people, and the tropes. That was the one thing where I was like, “All right, it really comes down to execution of understanding what the nature of the script is, and then balancing that with casting every other actor, so that we’re balancing each other’s energies.” I think they did a great job with that. I felt like, if we did our jobs correct, which I do believe we did, everybody’s gonna be able to look at it and laugh with us.

You’re essentially playing two very distinct characters. Did you start with the prison guy and then build the FBI guy out of that, or did you start with the FBI guy and build backwards to who he could be in prison?

HODGE: You start with the FBI guy and build backwards because he is the foundation and he’s the one who’s going in there. He has to do the work to build out a character. He has to do the work to make it honest, even though he’s fumbling with that a little bit. So, you start there at the root, and then you build from that.

Aldis Hodge Built a Camaraderie with ‘Marmalade’ Co-Star Joe Keery That Led to Fun Improv

Image via Signature Entertainment

For the majority of this, you’re essentially sharing story time with Joe Keery. What was it like to work with him on this? What most stood out to you about what he was like as a scene partner and how he approaches the work?

HODGE: It was catch and response. Working in this space, we just had fun with improvising a little bit and opening up opportunities for a little back and forth. The fact that you can get a scene partner who’s gonna be able to rock with you and throw a shot, take a shot, and throw a shot, you build that camaraderie. You parody one another with your energies and that’s what helps to really build out moments in the scene. You want somebody that when you rock to the left, they rock with you, and when you rock to the right, they go with you.

Related Aldis Hodge Says New Alex Cross TV Series Is The “Best” Show He’s Ever Been Involved With “We are as edgy as it’s gonna get.”

I’ve talked to you many times over the years. I’ve followed your career for a long time. When you’re someone who has been in this business for a bit, and you’ve done some great projects and projects that have had a lot of success, does it still feel different when you get to lead a project and play a title character like you’re doing with Cross?

HODGE: Yeah, absolutely. Every project has its own set of concerns and anxieties and rewards that come with them. Going into any project, there’s always going to be the weight of making sure that it’s good and that it’s quality, and then, once you give it to the world, that you stand behind it, and you’re super proud of it. With Cross, I can tell you how amazing that production was from top to bottom, from our captain, Ben Watkins, our showrunner, all the way down to the final finished product. I’m so very excited. Between Cross and Marmalade, it’s a fortuitous year, and I’m very grateful.

Aldis Hodge Is Proud of the Work He’s Been Able to Do in the ‘Cross’ TV Series

Image via BET Films

What can you tease about the story arc for Cross and what we’ll get to see with the series?

HODGE: Absolutely nothing. I will say, as far as TV series go, this has been my favorite TV series, and I mean that honestly. Fully, truly, intently, this has been the best, in terms of character development. I’ve been looking for this for a while. As an audience member and then also as an actor, I’m excited to see how people respond to it because I know what’s there and I’m so proud. This has been the best TV show I’ve ever been a part of my career, and I’ve been a part of some really great productions. I’m shooting Leverage right now. Leverage is near and dear to my heart, and always will be. I love Leverage. But Cross is in a different space. There’s a different responsibility with Cross that is a new step in my career. That, I think, is what I’m most excited about. I know how it was managed, but I want to see the fruits of the labor and see how it’s carried out.

If Cross had a rating, what would the rating be?

HODGE: You know I can’t tell you that.

Are you getting a little edgy with it?

HODGE: We are edgy. We are as edgy as it gets. We do not skip away from the edges. We give you real thrills, real excitement, real danger. We are as edgy as it’s gonna get.

You mentioned that you’re shooting Leverage: Redemption now. How much of Hardison will we get to see in Season 3? Will we get more of you and of him this season?

HODGE: Again, you know I can’t tell you that. I will say that I’m having a great time back with the crew. I’ve been doing this show since I was 21, and in the same vein as Marmalade, we’re talking about capers, hijinks, the whole deal. The synergistic bridge between the two projects offers me an opportunity to really just have fun and dig into that sandbox that I don’t get to often. So, the same love I have for Marmalade is the same love I have for Leverage, in that it just really gives me a great opportunity to stretch my wings a little bit, and it’s just fun.

Aldis Hodge Has Spent a Good Chunk of His Life Growing Up on ‘Leverage’

Image via IMDbTV

It’s also such an unusual thing to have a project like Leverage in an acting career, where you’ve lived with that character a while, you’ve gotten to play him, you’ve even had time away, you’ve gone off and done other things, and then you get to come back and revisit him at a different point in your life, all while also doing Marmalade. What’s it like to have a character that you can keep coming back to and revisiting and checking in with?

HODGE: It’s now been 17 years since Leverage started. I booked the job for my 21st birthday, and I’m about to be up there. When we recount how long it’s been, it’s wild to think of literally growing up with those people. I got married. I’ve got a baby now. I’m an actual adult. They saw me when I was coming into adulthood. It’s the greatest privilege and blessing to be able to have something and to hold onto it for that long, especially in this business. That is fleeting and rare air.

Related ‘Leverage: Redemption’ Steals Season 3 Renewal at Prime Video The reboot series was previously one of the major titles featured on Amazon’s Freevee service.

When you think back to the actor you were like at the start of Leverage, would you have ever seen yourself doing a movie like Marmalade? Were you always looking for the kinds of projects you’re looking for now or has that changed over the years?

HODGE: Yeah, absolutely. Leverage is part of a plan, just like every single job is a part of the plan to build out a big picture for what I hope to contribute to the industry in various ways. So, a film like Marmalade, I think the writing is smart, it’s funny, it brings me back to a type of film that I haven’t seen in a while and that I really enjoy. As an audience member, I love films. Every now and then, there’s something that pops up and gets me to wanna go to the theater, but it’s a tougher feeling to hold onto these days, with the advent of social media and the way films are distributed. There’s a flare that’s lost. And then, when I read Marmalade, I was like, “Oh, yeah, this gets me excited. I wanna go see a film again just because it’s pure fun.” It’s ridiculous in some ways, it’s heartfelt in some ways, it’s equal parts smart with the caper side, but you get to still be a little foolish with some of these characters, and it exercises and distributes human flaw in really creative ways. That’s something that would make me wanna go see the film.

The Sci-Fi Thriller ‘Parallel’ Was a Family Affair for Aldis Hodge

Image via Vertical Entertainment

You also have a movie that you made with your brother, called Parallel, that you wrote together. When you do a project like that, which seems like something you’re more invested in, what’s it like to complete it and see how it all comes together?

HODGE: I think relief. Working with my brother is awesome. We’ve been working together for our whole careers, but in this capacity, it’s a very new opportunity for the both of us to come in as writers and producers. For us, it was a huge education. We definitely have a lot of other things lined up, but this first experience taught us a lot. It was Film School 101. Having been in the business for over 30 years, there are still so many things that you get to learn at different stages of your career. You’re like, “All right, this is today’s list.” But for me, it helps me understand my approach to filmmaking and film choices differently. Honestly, we were lucky being able to work with somebody like Danielle Deadwyler. She’s a rock star and an amazing talent, but an even more amazing person. When you’re making your first film, and then you have somebody who is basically an ease and a breeze because she’s not coming to the set with problems or making it difficult for us, it really does help the process. There are so many other things that you have to consider and worry about. There are so many other stressful points. Making a movie is one of the most difficult things in the world, career wise, in this industry. The fact that we got it done is something that I’m most proud of, and I got it done with my family. It’s not just my brother, our mother is also part of the protection company, and our sister. It was a family affair.

Marmalade is in theaters and on-demand. Check out the trailer:

Watch on Vudu