"I did not have a lot of money," the author previously told The Hollywood Reporter. "They said, 'We just want one change; we want Alex to be a white guy.' And I said, 'F*** you.'"

In a powerful statement that resonates deeply within the Black community, Aldis Hodge, the star of the new series "Cross," has expressed

Which is, quite literally, what James Patterson did when executives asked him to re-write his iconic Alex Cross character as a white man. And now Cross television star Aldis Hodge — who plays the titular character — is speaking out about what it means to have kept Alex Cross a Black man.

Cross” star Aldis Hodge told Buzzfeed that he was “shocked” when it was recently revealed that author James Patterson turned down a seven-figure deal offer to turn his book character, police detective Alex Cross,

In 1993, the author introduced the world to his Cross series, which now has more than 30 novels connected to it. The protagonist, Alex Cross, is a Black, decorated DC homicide detective and forensic psychologist trying to keep serial killers off the street.