‘NCIS: Los Angeles’: How Much Does LL Cool J Make Per Episode?
LL Cool J is known not only for his rap career but also for playing Sam Hanna on NCIS: Los Angeles. Here’s what we know about how much he makes for his starring role on the hit TV series.
LL Cool J on ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’
LL Cool J has been playing Sam Hanna on NCIS: Los Angeles since 2009. His character is an NCIS senior special agent and former Navy SEAL. He and his team members work in the Office of Special Projects, managed by Hetty Lange (Linda Hunt).
Sam and Callen (Chris O’Donnell) have a bit of a “bromance,” according to O’Donnell. They often say they love each other on the show. “They do treat each other like brothers,” says O’Donnell during an interview with ET Canada. “It’s similar to the relationship that Todd and I, LL and I, have in real life. He’s someone I have great respect for, and there’s a mutual admiration, but we also love to torture each other,” he jokes. He says they “constantly drive each other crazy.”
How much LL Cool J makes for ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’
As of this writing, LL Cool J earns an estimated $350,000 per episode, according to Celebrity Net Worth. The rapper and actor doesn’t keep all that money to himself. He donates some of his money toward charitable causes. One way LL Cool J gives back is through his Queens, New York-based summer basketball camp, called Jump and Ball.
LL Cool J’s movies and TV shows
LL Cool J made his first movie appearance in the 1985 film Krush Groove, in which he sang the song, “I Can’t Live Without My Radio.” In 1986 he appeared in the movie Wildcats. By 1991, he played Billy in the film The Hard Way, starring actors Michael J. Fox and James Woods.
In 1995, LL Cool J landed his own TV show, In the House. He played the character Marion Hill until the series ended in 1999. His other acting roles include appearances in Any Given Sunday, In Too Deep, House, and 30 Rock.
What LL Cool learned from being on ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’
LL Cool J says his experience on NCIS: Los Angeles has been “huge” and that he has learned a lot on the set throughout the years. “NCIS: LA helped me mature in a lot of ways,” says LL Cool J. As a teenager or a rap artist in my 20s and 30s, it was very much about me. Regardless of what you may see on the spectrum of worldwide superstars, in the LL world, it was about me.”
LL Cool J goes on to say that working with the NCIS: Los Angeles team helped him focus less on himself. “Coming on this show and joining this team definitely taught me humility,” he says. “It taught me it’s not only about me, it’s about the whole team. It taught me empathy, much more compassion, and you realize how what you do affects everyday people.”
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