In The Envelope: An Awards Podcast

If you’re a performer who has recorded a self-taped audition over 300 times, Aldis Hodge is your craft and career guru. An actor and entrepreneur since childhood, Aldis has risen through the ranks of Hollywood and made thoughtful, intentional choices on- and off-screen (including resisting Black stereotypes). “Put that hustle in,” he advises fellow artists. “I find the true professionals to be more dedicated and more motivated now than they were when they started. Because they realize how much hard work it takes to get there.” Aldis moved around often as a kid, with military parents who were supportive of his artistic mission. After booking bit parts and studying at the Art Center College of Design, he earned his big break on TNT’s “Leverage,” going on to star in “Straight Outta Compton,” the SAG Award–winning “Hidden Figures,” WGN America’s “Underground,” “Black Mirror,” “Clemency,” “What Men Want,” “The Invisible Man,” and now, Showtime’s “City on a Hill.” Catch him next starring as athlete-actor Jim Brown