LL Cool J on Still Discovering Sam Hanna After 17 Years in NCIS
LL Cool J continues his 17-year tenure playing NCIS Special Agent Sam Hanna by starring in the spin-off NCIS: New York, premiering on CBS on October 6. At the show’s premiere at the Intrepid Museum on Thursday, October 1, the actor told PEOPLE why the long-running character still surprises him after nearly two decades in the role.
Finding New Dimensions in Sam Hanna
The character was first introduced when NCIS: Los Angeles launched in 2009, following the original series that premiered in 2003. After spending years with the Office of Special Projects in Los Angeles, LL Cool J told PEOPLE that playing the former Navy SEAL does not feel entirely routine.
“Because we’re still finding new things and exploring new things and being introduced to new aspects of the character,” LL said at the October 1 premiere. “So natural in the sense that I know who Sam is, but still new in the sense that I’m still being surprised every day.”
That continuous evolution forms the core of his ongoing commitment to the franchise. Rather than treating the role as settled territory after 17 years, the actor described the process as an ongoing education.
Relocating to New York with a Fresh Team
The newest iteration in the television franchise brings Sam Hanna back to his hometown of New York to team up with a new squad. The setup pairs him with a new partner, Nick Schaeffer, played by Scott Caan, creating fresh narrative dynamics.
According to comments given exclusively to PEOPLE, LL Cool J compared the long-term commitment of playing a single character to reading a single book over several years to achieve mastery.
“Life is about learning, right? … If you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse, right?” LL said. “And so, you know, like the real gift is like reading one book for four or five years straight because you learn more. That’s how you become a black belt in a specific book as opposed to reading it once and putting it down, right?”
By playing this character and watching this human being go through all of these various, you know, peaks, valleys, and everything in between, [you] learn more about yourself. You know what I’m saying? That’s life,” LL added in his remarks to PEOPLE.
Broadcast Schedule and Streaming Details
NCIS: New York premieres on CBS on Tuesday, October 6, airing from 9 to 10 p.m. ET/PT. Viewers can also stream the new episodes on Paramount+.
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