‘NCIS: Los Angeles’ LL Cool J Reflects On What He’s Learned After 14 Seasons

Don’t mind NCIS: Los Angeles star LL Cool J for getting down with some time of reflection when it comes to his show. It will wrap up business after 14 seasons later this year. LL Cool J plays Special Agent Sam Hanna on the CBS procedural.

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LL Cool J talked with Entertainment Tonight reporter Nischelle Turner on Thursday. He acknowledged that he has learned a lot from playing the same character for close to 15 years.
‘NCIS: Los Angeles’ Star LL Cool J Said That His Time On The Show ‘Taught Me A Lot’

“Taught me a lot,” LL Cool J said. “Because day in and day out, I work with people from all over the country and all over the world. You know, I would have never been exposed in the same day. I have one guy celebrating Rosh Hashanah and another guy from West Virginia and another guy who’s in a biking thing and another guy who’s Irish and… this person from the islands, and I’m working with all of these people every day. So you learn.

“Taught me a lot,” he shared. “Because day in and day out, I work with people from all over the country and all over the world. You know, I would have never been exposed in the same day. I have one guy celebrating Rosh Hashanah and another guy from West Virginia and another guy who’s in a biking thing and another guy who’s Irish and… this person from the islands, and I’m working with all of these people every day. So you learn.”

“You learn that people are people,” he said. “You learn that people are human and all of those unconscious bias that you have that makes you hesitate to embrace certain types of people, all that falls away because you realize everybody’s the same. It’s different, but we the same, you know what I’m saying?”
Actor Said That Sam’s Approach To Life Has Touched His Real Life Away From Work

With his character constantly in the line of fire due to his day job, LL Cool J, 55, said that Sam’s mentality and approach to life has, in some ways, spilled over to his real life off of the show’s set.

“The way he thinks,” LL Cool J said. “They have to think strategically. His understanding of military strategy, all of those things, you can’t help but learn it because you’re in it every day. How they approach life. The difference between strategy tactics and operations — all of that helps, but just the humanity, that for me it was just… It’s just a dope character.”