Alexander Hodge Wants To Save The world

Born in Sydney Australia, 33 year-old Alexander Hodge is no stranger to the eccentricities that often define American Culture. Inaugurating our very first New Guy column, we pick his brain on a few things we’ve been wondering. Like his favorite movies to the decorative choices of his teenage bedroom.

Photography Dio Anthony Grooming by Monica Alvarez

In today’s ever-shifting landscape, what does the “American Dream” look like to you, and how do you weave it into your creative work?

I think the last half decade has revealed some long-hidden truths, especially around what America means as a concept and an identity. I think the American Dream is a reckoning of sacrifice and survival to earn provision for oneself and one’s family, across the board. That’s not necessarily bleak or dystopian, but rather a permission to relate to the American Dream across the gamut of experiences. A person or character fighting for what’s theirs, whether it’s a white picket fence, or healthcare, is inherently American. I like my characters to have that fight in them.

America is full of urban legends and local lore. Can you share a moment or story related to this that unexpectedly shaped your vision and or life?

I won’t speak on this too much, but New York City’s Chinatown really took care of me when I was just an acting student struggling to make ends meet. I owe a debt of gratitude to the incredible folks on Grand St.

What’s one hidden hobby or talent that might surprise your fans and add an extra twist to your public persona?

It’d probably surprise people that I’m an avid baker and home cook. I maintain my child, my sourdough starter (named Gertie) that I bring with me all over the world, wherever I’m filming. It’s something that’s become quite meditative for me, and I love the several screen-free hours that come with such an engaging act.

What piece of American pop culture—whether a forgotten B-movie, a timeless jingle, or an underground trend—has unexpectedly influenced you?

Detroit Rock City was a seminal road trip film that shaped my youth. I was raised on stoner comedies — from the Wayne’s Worlds to Clerks and Jay & Silent Bob — and they’ve left an indelible mark on my identity today, mostly in their self awareness. Everything I do, I tend to look for the self aware humor that can reveal itself through finding a more universal perspective on any moment in time. Later in my adolescence I discovered Scorsese, Wong Kar Wai and other, more cinematic drama, but I’ve never been able to totally relinquish that fish-out-of-water irony that makes comedy appealing to me. I guess it’s an invitation to a more existentialist point of view; being that everything is a bit silly, isn’t it?

Which part of your own upbringing feels like a secret ingredient in your creative process, subtly shaping the stories you tell?

I think one of the many virtues of acting and creating art is that one’s personal progression is reflected in the work. If it were to be distilled into a secret ingredient, I’d say that it’s the lessons I have learned and continue to learn today. Over the last several years I learned the lesson of strength in vulnerability, and I feel like the work I did over those years reflected that. A recent lesson I've learned is the power of silliness, and for better or worse I feel that taking shape in my characters and work — a real sense of play.

What public figure did you have a poster of in your childhood bedroom?

I was never really one for posters in my bedroom, because I shared a room with my sister, but I remember always stealing her CDs. The first ever album I stole from her was Green Day’s Nimrod, and I made it my whole identity for a summer.

Imagine a fantasy hangout with a teen idol/adult idol from the past—who would it be, and what quirky adventure would you plan together?

I think I’d have to find a way to save the world with Mike Myers and Dana Carvey.

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