NCIS: Los Angeles star LL Cool J is proud of playing the ‘good cop’ and is living his childhood dreams

LL Cool J and his co-star Chris O’Donnell are proud to set a high standard for law enforcement on NCIS: Los Angeles.

With a wink at the camera and the wisdom of a sage, LL Cool J wades into the political quagmire that is America today and quips lightheartedly: “we live in interesting times, we most certainly do.”

It’s quite the understatement as the fallout from the Trump-led insurrection plays out in the halls of power and across TV screens around the world.

And not just the hours we streamed of the former President’s second impeachment trial, but the way dramas like NCIS: LA have stepped up to the challenge and explore the issues week in, week out.

For the rapper and actor, born James Todd Smith, the tensions which pre-dated the raiding of the US Capitol, as protesters took to the streets against institutional racism and police brutality, drew him into the public domain with his personal views on the killing of George Floyd and other African-Americans like him.

Chris O'Connell and LL Cool J star in a new season of US drama series, NCIS: Los Angeles, airing on 10. Picture: Supplied/10

Using his Instagram account as a pulpit, the 52-year-old shared his pain and fury in a lengthy video which went viral last year.

But it’s on his wildly popular US drama series that J takes pride in setting a higher standard for how those with a badge brandish their power.

“I feel good about the way the writers are handling it,” the Lip Sync Battle host tells The BINGE Guide.

“I think that what we’re not doing is we’re not trying to force one specific point of view down anyone’s throat, because I think that would be just as wrong as ignoring it.”

He explains: “It’s about making sure that the platform represents the world view and letting people battle it out in their own way.”

Now in seasons 12 of playing Sam Hanna, the music mogul and father of four still relishes the chance to play act what the service personnel in his own family did with pride in real life.

Even at a time when the conduct of police and law enforcement is under fire.

“My grandfather was auxiliary police officer. My uncle was a Detective. Know, My grandfather was also an army. My father was in the navy, so I’ve been around, you know, people that think and have these kind of mindsets. And I do respect it, on a cultural level. I get it and I respect it.”

He’s quick to praise the program for its deft handling of its ‘good cop v bad cop’ storylines, “without demonising the whole group.”

“These issues can be so polarising, it is very, very easy to paint with a broad brush,” he says, over Zoom from his Los Angeles home.

Special force … Chris O'Donnell as Special Agent G. Callen and LL Cool J as Special Agent Sam Hanna. Picture: Bill Inoshita/CBS

Playing the action hero has taken the Long Island-born star back to his childhood, he explains.

“It lets me live my boyhood dreams, something as simple as playing cops and robbers and good guys and bad guys. I used to be jumping off empty refrigerator boxes, you know, with my towel on the back of my shirt and my t shirt tucked in to my underwear … trying to be a hero.”

His co-star Chris O’Donnell, who plays Lead Special Field Agent Callen, says the writers will not shy away from issues they have always tackled, including domestic terrorism and police corruption.

“It’s a sensitive thing and not just the attack on the Capitol, but all the confrontations with the police and the public over the course of the year,” he says.

“It’s definitely, changed people’s sensibilities, so I think that will have an effect on the way the writers shape the shows.”

Away from TV, the rapper is celebrating 35 years since is debut album dropped and he declared his talent to the world.

Ask him now if he could have imagined the career he has had, crossing music and TV, and looks serious for the first time in our interview.

Dropping beats … LL Cool J has used lockdown to write and record new music, as he marks 35 years since he released his first album.

“In my neighbourhood where I grew up, you know, most of us didn’t even think we’d live to be 25,” he explains “And that’s not a good thing.”

With “gunshots ringing off and people getting killed over silly stuff that” he says, “the answer at that time was I would have never thought I’d get this far.”

Working on new music during lockdown, the Mama Said Knock You Out singer has plans to release new tracks this year, setting fans straight on what to expect.

“LL is not here to try to compete with Kendrick Lamar and, you know, other artists. You want to hear some growth or else. So that’s what I’m working on. I’m just trying to make sure that it’s equal.”

He adds: “[director and choreographer] Debbie Allen told me a long time ago, ‘be equal to the situation.’ And I think that’s what I’ve got to do not just musically. I’ve got to be equal to the situation in my station in life. So that’s what I’m going to do.”

* NCIS: Los Angeles, 9.30pm, Thursday, 10

Originally published as NCIS: Los Angeles star LL Cool J is proud of playing the ‘good cop’ and is living his childhood dreams