Season 2 of Prime Video’s Cross keeps the surprises coming with Josh Peck being introduced in a shocking — but crucial — role.
During the Wednesday, February 24, episode of the show, Luz (Jeanine Mason) visited Senator Pete Ashford to tell him about his mother’s involvement in some nefarious activities. Imagine our surprise when Senator Ashford was played by none other than Peck, who gave a strong performance as a man who found out about his mom’s sordid past.
“We have a great casting director and she calls me and she says, ‘I’m fielding an inquiry from Josh Peck’s reps about playing the senator,’” showrunner Ben Watkins exclusively told Luxury Handbag Shopping. “I said, ‘What? Is that real? Is this really happening?'”
Watkins revealed that Peck, 39, ended up auditioning for the role.
“We have a rule where everyone has to read and in Hollywood — this is not widely known — but there’s a thing called offer-only. Some of these actors on his level are used to just getting parts all the time. They’ve already got an established career and they’re offer-only,” he continued. “But Josh Peck said, ‘I’ll read.’ We actually had to relay the plan for the character a little bit more so he had an understanding of the journey.”
Aside from his introduction, Watkins confirmed Peck has a “key” presence this season, adding, “He reads and you don’t even think about Drake & Josh when you watch him read this stuff and and you’re like, ‘Oh, this dude is perfect. He is perfect for this role.'”
He continued: “You have visualized this and envisioned this role and now you have this person that’s checking all the boxes. It was so great to work with him because he’s so smart, so committed and he can take even small scenes and elevate them. It raises everybody around him. But he’s also just fun to be around. So that was fantastic.”
Cross, which premiered in 2024, is based on the Alex Cross novel series written by James Patterson. The series follows forensic psychologist and homicide D.C. Metro Detective Alex Cross, who pursues some of America’s most dangerous killers. Together with his partner, Cross navigates the perils of the criminal underworld while trying to keep his family safe.
In addition to Mason and Peck, Cross stars Aldis Hodge, Isaiah Mustafa, Juanita Jennings, Alona Tal, Samantha Walkes, Caleb Elijah, Melody Hurd, Matthew Lillard and Jennifer Wigmore.
“Every time you go into a job, every episode is a new adventure. You really have no idea what’s coming because both of us went in and auditioned. We fought for these parts and at that point, Cross hadn’t existed yet. The TV show hadn’t been on yet. So when we got the jobs, we were signing on to the 10 pages that we had as sides to audition for,” Lillard, who plays Lance, exclusively told Us earlier this month. “It’s a real joy playing these characters and being a part of this world [because] Cross is now this worldwide phenomenon.”
Lillard praised Cross‘ viewership, adding, “They got 40 million views in the first 20 days. So we’re now really excited to be a part of this hit show. We are excited about people joining us on this whole journey. It’s gonna be a blast.”
New episodes of Cross air Wednesdays on Prime Video.
