An Interview with Isaiah Mustafa from ‘Cross’

Isaiah Mustafa as John Sampson in Season 1 of ‘Cross’. (Photo Courtesy of Keri Anderson/Prime Video.)

Isaiah Mustafa is an accomplished actor that has appeared in some iconic franchises, such as the IT reboot and he just joined another. For currently, he stars as John Sampson in the new Prime Video series, Cross, and to celebrate its release, we sat down with Isaiah to discuss his work on the show.
John Betancourt: I would love to start by getting to know what attracted you to the role of John.
 
Isaiah Mustafa: Let's see. I've never played a character like this before, just a guy who is devoted to not only his job but upholding his friendship with his partner and best friend. Yeah, I've never had a character who was so closely intertwined with another character.
 
John Betancourt: That’s something I definitely want to talk about today, because that bond that you share with Aldis as Alex, on screen, feels very, very real. And I'm very curious how you managed as an actor to achieve that.
 
Isaiah Mustafa: Honestly, we just, you know, from our chemistry read, we right away, we had a mutual respect for each other. You know, I was a fan of his (Aldis Hodge) work. And if you watch him in other things, if you go back and look at his work, I mean, he's solid, like, you're getting a very solid performance each time, and what he brings to it, you can tell that he has a high level of expectation for himself. So, I was looking forward to working with somebody like that, because than you have no option other than to be as good as you can be when you work with somebody like that. So, I was hoping to raise my level as well.
 
And you know, just once we got together off screen and had a we had a great conversation with a couple producers, our show runner, Ben Watkins, and we just sat around and talked about life and you know, what it was to be a father in this day and age, what it was to be, you know, sons, you know, just men living in this age, you know, we left the characters and the show completely out of it. We didn't talk about any of that. We just talked about life. And I think when you can do that, you know, it creates a bond and that, that kind of, it's not superficial anymore, you know, you get into, you start talking about things with people. You get into people's lives. It becomes more real. And I think that is what you're seeing on screen.
 
John Betancourt: Now, you've obviously been a part of some iconic franchises to begin with, and I'm also curious if there's any pressure in portraying such an iconic character?
 
Isaiah Mustafa: You know, I think there's always pressure, you know, playing an iconic character, you just want to make sure people… you do, do right by the fans. You know, because fans have somewhat of an expectation of what they want to see, and it's tough because you don't always know what that is. I think what you have to do is you have to be truthful to the material. And I was trying to be as truthful to the character that James Patterson created, but also the character that Ben Watkins molded into this television character. And I think I was able to do that with the help of some amazing writers on his staff.
 
John Betancourt: I also love the fact that this show has updated Alex Cross' world to better fit our world as it is right now. And I'm curious what you hope that audience’s kind of take away from this first season from a depth standpoint, since it has so much of it,
 
Isaiah Mustafa: This first season does have a lot of depth. I mean, you're dealing with a serial killer who kills in such a specific way that I think we haven't seen before. It is almost a nod to that genre, in a way. So, I think what the audience can expect from this season, at least, I think what they can take away from it is that you're going to get a version of a serial killer you haven't seen before, but you're also going to get to know that serial killer from like, inside and out, you're going to get a 360 degree version of this guy. You know. You're going to know what he does outside of being a serial killer. You're going to know how he is, almost like his origin story.
 
There's… there's parts in the series where you get, you get to realize how he became so, so dark. And then you get, you get Alex, who, who's trying to, you know, figure this guy out. And there's a scene with a banquet for someone's birthday, and Alex and this character, they go head-to-head. And the whole episode is like this cat and mouse, and they're just kind of feeling each other out. And to me, that is, that is like one of those, you know, Batman and Joker moments, where you're watching these two, you know, diametrically opposed figures, you know, kind of suss each other out. It's amazing.
 
John Betancourt: Of course, since this franchise is iconic and this show is so highly anticipated, what are you excited for audiences to experience in general, without any spoilers of course.
 
Isaiah Mustafa: Um, I just want to, I hope we can take them on a ride that at the end of it, they're left wanting more and going, “I really love the stories and everything, but I'm here for these characters. I want to see these characters do more” so that they're looking forward to a season two.
 
John Betancourt: I'm curious what it means to you as an actor, just as a person, to be part of Alex Cross' world now.
 
Isaiah Mustafa: Oh, it's great. I think it's just great to be a part of a crew with Ben and Aldis, you know, just to be part of these guys that really, you know, have each other's back, just the way that Alex and John have each other's back. I just feel like that, safety, amongst the guys that I'm working with. It's… there's nothing like that. It's like being on a championship sports team.
 
John Betancourt: What are you most proud of when it comes to your work in season one?
 
Isaiah Mustafa: Episode Eight. Yeah, I don't want, I can't give you any spoilers, but I think that's, I think that's the culmination of a really, really good season of television. And I think that people are really gonna like that episode. You know it. It shows you the man that the series is named after. You get to know him and his world 100% it sets you up for the next season, like it lets you go, “Okay, now, I know these people. Let me see them do some more.”
 
John Betancourt: The last question that I have for today, since we're getting close to our time, if you had to describe this series in a singular word, what would that word be
 
Isaiah Mustafa: Undeniable.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

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