Cross Star Aldis Hodge Reacts to James Patterson Saying Series Is His Favorite Adaptation of His Work

James Patterson may have revealed that Cross is his favorite adaptation of his work, but will viewers agree? Star Aldis Hodge isn’t worried.

The upcoming crime thriller series, an adaptation of Patterson's novel of the same name, features Hodge, 38, as the titular detective. It hasn’t even hit Prime Video yet, and the show has already received the author’s high praise, plus a greenlight for season 2.

When asked about whether he feels pressure surrounding the show’s performance — particularly given Patterson’s declaration that it’s his favorite adaptation of his work — at the American Black Film Festival in June, Hodge said, “I don't think so.”

The actor, who spoke to PEOPLE alongside Cross showrunner Ben Watkins, went on to explain that they have “both been in the business long enough to know when you know something's gonna be done right.”

"That's putting trust in the team, putting trust in everybody who handles their department, whether it's the writing, the acting, the producing, the crew handling,” he continued. “I knew from the moment that I got the first script, I was like, ‘Okay, this is awesome.’”

“Then,” Hodge recalled, “we had our first conversation. Knowing where Ben's mind was put me at ease. Knowing the caliber of talent that we had around, you just … there is no pressure when you know you're working with quality, every single day.”

Regardless of the viewer response, he told PEOPLE, “We're proud of what we have — so when we present it to the world, this is our art.”

"It now belongs to our audience. They will make of it what they will,” he added. “We know that is going to be great because we felt great and we know it's great when we're doing it. We're making it. We believe in our team.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Watkins, 53, echoed this, telling PEOPLE that Hodge “hit the nail on the head with the team thing, because when you are doing it as a collaboration ... then there's just no pressure — it just feels like you're showing up every day to play.”

“So when you take something like a legendary book series and then you put together a great team, when James Patterson says this is favorite adaptation ... we have the time to tell the story the way it should be told,” the Cross showrunner added. “But I also think we have the right Alex Cross, and that makes a huge difference.”

The eight-episode Prime Video series follows the story of "a detective and forensic psychologist, uniquely capable of digging into the psyches of killers and their victims, in order to identify — and ultimately capture — the murderers."

It is based on Patterson's popular 1993 novel, which was followed by 31 sequels and two novellas, plus three books centered on the titular detective’s son, Ali.

Cross premiere on Prime Video on Thursday, Nov. 14.