Actor Aldis Hodge Says It’s the ‘Highest Honor’ to Be Considered for Biopic of Late Bernie Mac

Bernie Mac’s daughter, Je’niece McCallough, wants Aldis Hodge to play the late comedian in a biopic — and he’s completely on board.

“First of all, I wish that I would have met him before his passing. I wish I would have worked with him,” Hodge, 37, exclusively told Us Weekly at Amazon's upfront presentation on Tuesday, May 14. “For her to even say that is the highest honor. His daughter? It gets no higher than that.”

He continued, “So, you know, I don't even have to step into those shoes. The fact that she wants me to step into those shoes is enough for me.”

Mac died in August 2008 at the age of 50. John Legend’s Get Lifted production company later confirmed plans for a biopic, with McCallough telling TMZ in June 2021 that Hodge could easily play the prolific star.

Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep and More Actors Who Portrayed Real People in Movies and TV Shows

Hodge, best known for his roles in Leverage and Hidden Figures, told Us that he would “absolutely” say yes if a casting offer came his way.

“I mean, I used to do stand-up comedy. I held a room down at the L.A. Improv from, like, 13 years old up to 17. I used to host [a] show,” Hodge said on Tuesday. “I love comedy and I’m a big fan of comedy. When it comes to my work, I want to do more of it. I believe what the scope of what his life was and what he contributed, at least for me because I grew up watching Mr. Mac, that would be just high praise and honor and a lot of privilege.”

Further details about the future Mac biography have yet to be revealed, but Hodge is staying busy until a potential audition. He is currently starring in Prime Video’s Cross, which is set for a season 1 premiere later this year.

Celebrities Reveal Which Stars They Want to Play Them Onscreen in a Biopic: Side-by-Side Comparisons

“It checked every single box for me, professionally and emotionally. When it comes to the professional sense, we have a fantastic team. We have a great set,” Hodge gushed. “We have a really healthy environment and the leadership coming down from [creator] Ben Watkins to the rest of the team. Ben's vision when it comes to the narrative is incredible, but our cast are amazingly talented, great human beings and I love the growth. I love the potential. Sometimes I've been on projects where I felt like our potential was stunted and that we couldn't go past it.”

He continued, “With Cross, we're fully meeting the potential and going above and beyond. And that for me as an audience member is exciting because I know that every single time I come back, I'm going to get something that is bigger, fatter and better and deeper.”

Hodge and Prime Video debuted the first trailer for Cross, and confirmed an early season 2 renewal, during Tuesday’s upfront presentation.

With reporting by Andrew Nodell