On the TNT series Leverage, about a crew of high-tech crooks who steal from wealthy criminals and corrupt businessmen, in order to level the playing field for people whose lives have been destroyed by the rich and powerful, actor Aldis Hodge plays Hardison, the team’s miracle worker when it comes to hacking.  With the relationship between Parker (Beth Riesgraf) and Hardison heating up, and a secret shared between Hardison and Nate (Timothy Hutton) that the rest of the team isn’t privy to, it will continue to be a season of new adventures and uncharted territory.

During this recent exclusive phone interview with Collider, Aldis Hodge talked about the changes in Season 5, finally getting the pay-off for the Hardison-Parker relationship, how the secret shared between Hardison and Nate won’t be revealed until the end of the season, his favorite episode, getting to play so many different characters within his character, how he would still like to explore more about Hardison’s background and family, and who’s the goofiest and who’s the most serious on set.  He also talked about his role in the upcoming film The East, from writer/director Zal Batmanglij and writer/actress Brit Marling, and his desire to establish a career behind the scenes as well.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

We’ve got a couple of casting stories for you this afternoon. First up, Amy Smart, Ryan Kwanten (True Blood), and Leslie Bibb (Zookeeper) have signed on for the thriller 7500. Takashi Shimizu (The Grudge) is directing the pic from a script by Craig Rosenberg (The Uninvited). Yesterday we brought you some first synopses from a number of films being sold at AFM this week, and 7500 was among them. The pic tells the story of a group of passengers who begin to experience frightening supernatural phenomena after a passenger mysteriously dies in flight. Those remaining are left to wonder if they’re next. Variety reports that Kwanten and Smart will play a married couple who board the flight with two of their longtime friends for a trip to Japan, while Bibb will play “a stewardess involved in a complicated and secret relationship.”

Hit the jump for casting news concerning the indie thriller The East, which stars Brit Marling and Ellen Page.

The TNT crime drama Leverage returns on December 12^th with its remaining episodes for Season 3. The hit series follows the adventures of a highly skilled team – made up of former insurance investigator turned con-man Nate Ford (Timothy Hutton), grifter Sophie Devereaux (Gina Bellman), retrieval specialist Eliot Spencer (Christian Kane), gadget and technology wizard Alec Hardison (Aldis Hodge) and professional thief Parker (Beth Riesgraf) – who are out to settle scores against those who use power and wealth to victimize others.

With a holiday episode and a two-part finale left, the stakes reach an all-time high, as Nate and the team must finally encounter the big bad (Damien Moreau) that the entire season has been leading up to. During a recent interview, co-stars Timothy Hutton and Beth Riesgraf talked about how much fun they have playing such challenging roles, the outrageous stunts they sometimes have to do and how their characters compare to them in real life. They also gave some hints about what viewers can expect from Season 4. Check out what they had to say after the jump.