Aldis Hodge and Lauren E. Banks Talk New Season of ‘City On A Hill’ on Showtime | Sway’s Universe

Name: Aldis Hodge and Lauren E. Banks Talk New Season of ‘City On A Hill’ on Showtime | Sway’s Universe
Uploaded: 2025-11-07T07:50:21-08:00
Duration: 34 min 35 s
Channel: SWAY'S UNIVERSE
Description: Aldous Hodge and Lauren E. Banks discuss their roles in Showtime's 'City on the Hill,' emphasizing the importance of authenticity and moral integrity…

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About this episode Aldous Hodge and Lauren E. Banks discuss their roles in Showtime's 'City on the Hill,' emphasizing the importa… AI summary

Aldous Hodge and Lauren E. Banks discuss their roles in Showtime's 'City on the Hill,' emphasizing the importance of authenticity and moral integrity when portraying racially charged historical narratives. They share strategies for navigating the entertainment industry as minorities, advocating for selective project choices based on spiritual alignment and personal values rather than financial necessity alone.

Key takeaways 5

Authenticity in sensitive scenes: Lauren E. Banks notes that offensive dialogue fuels her character's struggle against social barriers, but warns against using slurs 'out of proportion' or without narrative purpose, stating it must have 'a point' and show the victimized fighting back.
On-set safety protocols: The cast employs emotional consultants and allows actors to modify or skip lines during rehearsals if they feel uncomfortable, ensuring a respectful environment while maintaining narrative truth.
Character duality: Aldous Hodge describes his character's challenge as learning 'the language of the monsters' to understand them without becoming a monster himself, highlighting the psychological toll on a Black DA in a corrupt system.
Industry mindset shift: Aldous Hodge advises that 'no is oftentimes the most powerful word' for minorities, encouraging them to recognize their value and not succumb to industry conditioning that suggests they should be grateful for any opportunity.
Career longevity strategy: Lauren E. Banks prioritizes building a career over getting jobs, citing Cicely Tyson as an inspiration, and refuses auditions for projects she doesn't believe in, even if they are major productions.

Notable quotes 4 AI-generated: wording and quote attribution may be wrong. Use the play link to verify.

“If something is used it can't just be salacious it can't be wasted air wasted energy there has to be a point to it but along with that point there has to be the truth and the repercussions the truth in showing the people who are intended to be victimized fighting back for themselves”

▶ 10:10 Lauren E. Banks explaining how the show handles offensive language and racial slurs in Season 2.
“You have to learn the language of the monsters that you're dealing with so you can speak with them and and you can understand you can interpret what they're saying but not become a monster yourself”

Aldous Hodge describing his approach to playing District Attorney Jackie Rohr.
“No is oftentimes the most powerful word that you can use because at the end of day when you're good and it's meant for you it's meant for you believe in that but they need you as much as they want to make you believe that you need them”

▶ 25:48 Aldous Hodge advising on how minorities should handle rejection and set boundaries in the industry.
“I'm interested what success looks like for me is to do work that i believe in with people that i believe in and that's when i'm the happiest”

▶ 27:44 Lauren E. Banks defining her personal metric for career success.