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BET Awards 2022: 5 Reasons Why We Can’t Stop Swooning Over Actor Aldis Hodge

Hodge was nominated for “Best Actor” at the BET Awards 2021.

Award-winning actor Aldis Hodge is best known for his portrayal of Alec Hardison on the TNT series Leverage and as the legendary Lorenzo Jerald Patterson, better known as MC Ren in the 2015 biopic Straight Outta Compton. However, the actor has since appeared in numerous critically acclaimed films making him one of the most sought-after actors in the business. His performances earned him several recognitions and awards, including the BET Awards 2021 nomination for “Best Actor.”

Although he didn’t take home the win, which was awarded to the late Chadwick Boseman, we haven’t been able to keep our eyes off the actor. Ahead of this year’s BET Awards 2022, hosted by actress Taraji P.Henson on Sunday, June 26 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, here are five reasons why we can’t stop swooning over actor Aldis Hodge.

  • He’s committed

    For his portrayal of Jim Brown in the Oscar-winner film which marked Regina King's feature-length directorial debut, One Night in Miami, he would play recordings of the former NFL player speaking over and over to make sure he incorporated the same "['60s-style] sort of energy" into his performance as authentically as possible.

  • He’s crafty

    Aldis loves making art out of everyday objects when he’s not starring in the next critically acclaimed film. He apparently loves to paint as well.

  • He’s his brother’s keeper

    Fun fact: Aldis made his acting debut at the same time as his brother Edwin in the 1995 action film Die Hard with a Vengeance starring Hollywood veteran Bruce Willis.

    When he was 9, Aldis played Harlemite Raymond, whose uncle Zeus Carver (Samuel L. Jackson) becomes the reluctant aid to John McClane, played by Willis, against a terrorist bomber. Edwin has a more minor role in the 1995 sequel as a student whose school is suspected to be under attack from said terrorist. Aldis would later play a different role in A Good Day to Die Hard.

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  • His portrayal and connections to military members

    Aldis is gradually becoming one of Hollywood’s most sought talents with many roles as an Army member in several projects, including real-life World War II veteran Edward Carter on the docuseries Medal of Honor and Captain Anthony Espin in the 2016 sequel Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. Interestingly, the North Carolina native comes from a military family. In 2019, he spoke to NPR about how his parents met each other in the Marine Corps and that he was born while they were still in the service.

  • He was a part of one of the biggest movies in hip hop

    In 2015, Aldis starred as the legendary MC Ren in the film Straight Out of Compton. In an interview with Upcoming 100, the actor revealed he had a two-hour conversation with the famed NWA emcee and discovered they were more connected than they thought.

    Tune in to the BET Awards 2022 Sunday, June 26 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on BET.

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