Jeanine Mason‘s back tattoo on Prime Video’s Cross could rival Ben Affleck‘s massive ink — and she’s even considering making it a permanent part of her body.
During an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, Mason and costar Matthew Lillard, who joined season 2, reflected on the show’s success.
“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, noted. “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.”
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Mason, meanwhile, noted that they are “personally invested” in the second season doing well.
“We had a screening and a panel where I was asked if [my character’s back] tattoo is real. I was like, ‘If this does [well] in 20 days, I am going to get the tattoo,’” Mason, who portrays a vigilante named Luz, shared with Us before Lillard jumped in, “This is insane. I don’t think you should tell people because the more people you tell, the more dangerous this thing gets.”
Lillard joked that tattoo artists should start applying to recreate Luz’s vast back tattoo, adding, “This is not good for Janine. She’s a new mother and has a burgeoning career and getting a huge back tattoo is a terrible idea.”
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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 Lillard, Cross stars Aldis Hodge, Isaiah Mustafa, Juanita Jennings, Alona Tal, Samantha Walkes, Caleb Elijah, Melody Hurd and Jennifer Wigmore.
“[The material] was not hard for me to connect with and it’s so timely. It’s become even more pertinent with the way Luz goes about her personal activism,” Mason told Us. “We absolutely understand why and we see immediately in her first scene and her first kill the sadness and the pain.”
She continued: “We all know and understand a system that might lead someone to end up in that position. All the kudos to the writers.”
New episodes of Cross air Wednesdays on Prime Video.
