Aldis Hodge: The Cool Nerd on ‘Leverage’

Aldis Hodge plays Alec Hardison on the TNT hit series Leverage. He’s the Hacker in a group of ex-criminals who have turned their “work” into something that serves victims of large, greedy corporations. “If there is a computer to be decoded, a bug to be planted, a car to be traced or an identity to be created, Hardison is the man.” (TNT)

In real life, Aldis Hodge proudly boasts of being a cool nerd. “I’m a nerd in real life and I like think that I’m sort of cool.” He’s able to bring that nerdiness to his role on the show, but with a little spice. “When your hear computers or geek or whatever you just automatically think pocket protector, glasses, not very social, always kind of clumsy.You think that kind of a -that kind of model.

When it came to the pilot and when it came down to me and Dean Devlin, and John Rogers trying figure this character out, you know, we kind of wanted to throw a different spin on it because nowadays I mean computer nerds, we’re coming off kind of the shape of society but we’re not just one thing. And I don’t want the audience to get what they’re already used to having and wanted to give them something different and something fresh.

And it’s funny people say there’s a cool vibe there. I’m like I feel like I’m kind of dorky and corny sometimes but that’s just me. But if you all think it’s cool hey I’m thinking I’m going to keep giving it to you.” I found myself wondering if Hardison and Chuck Bartowski would hit it off.

Hardison seems to be a comfortable role for Aldis to play, largely due to the fact that he considers them very similar. “I add a lot of my own personality to the character as far as his humor, as far as how he plays in jokes. So I would say we definitely have a kinship there. We’re definitely very, very close. And our lightheartedness as far as our way of thinking, you know, I’m not a thief but I would say that he has a good heart that I try to model after what I would like to be.”

Acting is not Hodge’s only talent and love. He has an obsession with watches. “There’s kinetic watches.There’s watches that are powered by light.There’s watches, you know, with computer chips in them -all that kind of stuff.So I keep up to date on watches and that technology.I go pretty deep into that.” He is also an artist. “I’m a painter. I’ve had a little bit of time to paint. I finished one painting since I’ve been here (Portland, OR). It took me about two months to finish. And I’m trying to work on it but I just haven’t had the time to be diligent like I would prefer.”

Leverage returns for its third season, this Sunday. Its first season came on so strong because it was new and fresh, and people were looking for just that. “In years past, you know, 20 years or ten years past our plan when we’re all done , I believe somebody’s going to look back and say ‘yes that new show out, it’s like that show Leverage’.”

I believe that’s true and Aldis Hodge helped make that happen. He is as unforgettable as his character.

Watch Leverage Sunday, June 20, at 9/8 central, on TNT.