LL Cool J on Navy SEALs and Playing Sam Hanna on NCIS

LL Cool J has spent nearly two decades portraying former Navy SEAL Sam Hanna on television, and the experience has put him alongside some of the country’s most highly trained military operators.

What has stayed with him most, however, is their humility.

In an exclusive interview with Military.com, the rapper and actor discussed what he’s learned from real Navy SEALs over the years, including how those relationships have shaped his understanding of military service and the character he’s portrayed since 2009.

“The Navy SEALs that I’ve encountered … for the most part have been extremely humble,” LL Cool J said. Yet many, he added, are “some of the most dangerous guys in the room, if not the most dangerous.”

Hanna first appeared on the flagship NCIS in 2009 before becoming a fixture of NCIS: Los Angeles for all 14 seasons. LL Cool J later reprised the character on NCIS: Hawai’i.

Now, with CBS’ new NCIS: New York, Hanna has returned to his hometown to help lead a team alongside agent Nick Schaeffer, played by Scott Caan.

What Navy SEALs Taught LL Cool J About Real Strength

Playing the same character for so many years has given LL Cool J ample opportunity to talk with people whose experiences more closely match Hanna’s fictional background.

He said those conversations have included senior enlisted personnel and Navy SEALs, including a former SEAL serving as a technical adviser on the new series.

That kind of firsthand expertise has informed other Hollywood productions. Former Navy SEAL Ray Mendoza, for example, worked as a technical adviser on Alex Garland’s 2024 film Civil War, drawing from 17 years of military service to help recreate combat scenes.

What stayed with LL Cool J from those conversations went beyond the job’s physical demands. He described a particular kind of self-discipline that he has come to associate with the service members he knows.

“You learn something about punctuality,” LL Cool J said.

He also spoke about looking people in the eye, keeping promises and suppressing one’s ego. In his experience, those traits are closely tied to the loyalty and responsibility he associates with military service.

“The real tough guys have inner strength and humility and a desire to look out for those who are weaker,” he said.

Why Veterans Deserve a Life Beyond Their Service

That perspective has a family connection, too. LL Cool J said his father and grandfather both served in the military. His grandfather was a World War II veteran who served in the medical corps, the actor previously told the Los Angeles Times.

That background came up as we discussed “Homecoming,” the Oct. 27 episode of NCIS: New York, which follows a deadly armored truck robbery at a naval credit union.

The investigation leads Hanna and Schaeffer toward veterans who have fallen through the cracks and eventually takes them to Hanna’s old neighborhood in Queens.

For LL Cool J, the storyline touches on an issue much larger than the episode. He said he has heard accounts of veterans struggling with the effects of trauma, addiction and financial problems after leaving military service. Reestablishing a place in civilian society, he said, can be emotionally difficult.

As Military.com has previously reported, veterans may also struggle with identity and belonging as they adjust to life outside the military.

He encouraged veterans to keep exploring their identities, beliefs and personal lives beyond their time in uniform, especially after experiencing circumstances civilians may never fully understand.

“You have to find a way to reconcile your service with … the fact that you deserve to live a full life,” he said.

Bringing Military Leadership Lessons Behind the Camera

LL Cool J also has a hand in where Hanna’s story goes next. As an executive producer of NCIS: New York, he said he participates in casting and other major decisions but tries to give the creative team room to do its work.

LL Cool J’s approach follows a tradition of military influence behind the scenes of the franchise. Army veteran and longtime NCIS producer Chas. Floyd Johnson previously told Military.com how his service shaped his work on JAG and NCIS.

The “Mama Said Knock You Out” performer said he helped bring R. Scott Gemmill aboard to write the pilot and played an active role in casting decisions. Still, he wants other production members to have the freedom to make their own calls.

He compared that approach to the military idea of establishing a commander’s intent, then trusting people closer to the action to determine how to accomplish the mission.

“Ultimately, it’s always a team effort,” he said.

What LL Cool J Hopes Veterans See in Sam Hanna

LL Cool J sees Hanna’s military service as one influence among the experiences that have shaped him. What matters to the actor is how his character handles those experiences and what he does with the lessons he learns.

As for what he wants service members and veterans to take from Hanna, LL Cool J said he hopes viewers can find something of themselves in the character’s perseverance.

“We all are the main character in our movie,” he said. “You’re the main character in your movie. I’m the main character in my movie.”

After almost two decades with Sam Hanna, LL Cool J hopes military viewers recognize “the parts of them that are Sam Hanna.”