LL Cool J has spent decades reinventing himself, from hip-hop pioneer to television mainstay. Now, 17 years after first stepping into the role of Special Agent Sam Hanna, he is finding that the character still has a few surprises left.
The rapper and actor has portrayed Hanna since the 2009 debut of NCIS: Los Angeles, building one of the longest-running roles of his acting career. Rather than treating that familiarity as an excuse to cruise, LL Cool J says the years have given him more opportunities to understand the character.
That journey is entering another phase with NCIS: New York, which takes Hanna back to his hometown and places him alongside a new team.
For LL Cool J, the change of scenery also creates room to explore sides of Hanna that audiences, and even the actor himself, may not have seen before. After nearly two decades with the character, he sees familiarity and discovery working together rather than competing with each other.
His approach is rooted in the idea that spending more time with a subject can reveal details that are easy to miss at first. Instead of viewing 17 years in one role as repetition, LL Cool J considers the experience an extended education.
There has also been a personal dimension to the journey. Watching Hanna navigate successes, setbacks and everything between them has given LL Cool J opportunities to reflect on his own experiences and growth.
It is another example of the unusual career path LL Cool J has carved out. Long before becoming a fixture of prime-time television, he established himself as one of hip-hop’s most recognizable artists. His transition into acting eventually created a second career with longevity to rival his first.
Now Sam Hanna is heading somewhere particularly fitting for his next act: New York.
NCIS: New York premieres Tuesday, Oct. 6, on CBS, with streaming availability on Paramount+.
