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Aldis Hodge is currently making a very powerful case to be one of the first names on any shortlist for upcoming film projects. He is currently impressing TV viewers with his work on Showtime's City on a Hill and this weekend he'll be impressing film viewers as the titular character in the sports biopic Brian Banks. Veteran comedy director Tom Shadyac (The Nutty Professor) returns from a self imposed directing exile to direct his first feature film since 2007's Evan Almighty. The film tells the true story of the wrongful conviction of high school football superstar Brian Banks, who fights to clear his name and overturn his conviction. He is eventually aided in this effort by Greg Kinnear's Justin Brooks and becomes a powerful advocate for the wrongfully convicted and imprisoned.

Before the film’s release, I sat down with Aldis Hodge and Greg Kinnear to discuss how the story of Brian Banks and the friendship he shared with Justin Brooks attracted both actors to the project. Aldis opens up about the relationship he developed with the real-life Banks and about the emotionally resonant conversations they would have on set. Kinnear speaks about the importance of Banks' story and what he symbolizes to those who have been wrongfully imprisoned. I also ask Aldis Hodge which possible comic book superhero film he'd like to take part in if he had a choice: Black Panther 2 or Green Lantern Corps? Check out what they had to say in the player above, and below is exactly what we talked about. Brian Banks also stars Sherri Shepherd, Melanie Liburd, Tiffany Dupont, Xosha Roquemore, and Dorian Missick.

Aldis Hodge and Greg Kinnear:

• What the biggest obstacle was for Aldis Hodge as he stepped into the cleats or shoes of Brian Banks.

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  What Aldis Hodge channeled before he delivered one of the inspiring monologues in the film.
• Greg Kinnear's process in getting involved in the film and why Brian Banks' story resonates with him.

Here is the official synopsis for Brian Banks:

The inspirational true story of Brian Banks, an all-American high school football star who finds his life upended when he's wrongly convicted of a crime he didn't commit. Despite the lack of evidence, Banks gets railroaded through a broken justice system and sentenced to a decade of prison and probation. Years later, with the support of Justin Brooks and the California Innocence Project, Banks fights to reclaim his life and fulfill his dreams of playing in the NFL.