LL Cool J may be best known for his music videos, but the rapper also made some movies. One of those was the 1997 shark-based adventure Deep Blue Sea, directed by Renny Harlin and starring Saffron Burrows and Samuel L. Jackson. Cool James recalls nearly drowning on set for the movie.
“I was on the set, I was probably #479 on the call sheet, and you know, I was in the middle of a take and [they called] ‘Lunch!’ And the guy holding the little [shark] joystick goes: [imitates cartoonish running] ‘Pastrami!’ and they just bailed on me. And there I was, just [makes thrashing, dangling motion] – like it was real! And they said ‘Oh!’ and gave me this little breathing apparatus, like something you blow out and then breathe in; I blow out, I breathe in, all water! Took it to another level. But I ended up struggling and getting out, I climbed out, and there was one dude sitting there with a cigarette, like [imitates raspy chuckle] ‘I saw what happened.’ So it was cool.” – LL Cool J
Despite its bad reviews, the movie has become an Internet classic. It has many memorable moments, but none are more iconic than LL Cool J’s rap song “Deepest Bluest.”
The Music
LL Cool J has been a fixture in pop culture since the mid-1980s. His musical career has taken him from being a rapper in the garage to a major star in the mainstream, and his film acting is gaining traction as well.
Throughout his career, LL has had many memorable roles that have earned him much praise and recognition. He has acted in movies such as “Halloween H20” and “Deep Blue Sea.”
While his acting roles are often more successful than his music, LL is still an avid hip-hop fan. He is a supporter of numerous causes including literacy programs for children and music and arts programs for schools. He also is an ardent advocate of charity and fundraising.
In his music, LL has been known to explore themes such as family and faith. He has released several albums that deal with these subjects. His most popular songs include “Father,” “At the End of the Day,” and “God.”
As a rapper, LL has been praised for his ability to mix pop with hip-hop. He was a leading exponent of this genre, releasing many hit songs during his career.
He has released 12 studio albums and a greatest hits compilation so far. He has also hosted the GRAMMY Awards for an unprecedented five years in a row.
LL is now a popular host on the show Lip Sync Battle, which has been viewed by millions of people. He has also launched his own classic hip-hop radio channel, Rock the Bells, on SiriusXM.
On the show, he has played a wide variety of characters and has been able to showcase his talent as an actor. He has appeared alongside celebrities such as Samuel L. Jackson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Omar Epps, James Woods, Al Pacino, and Pam Grier.
When he isn’t on the show, LL enjoys spending time with his family. He and his wife have four children together.
LL Cool J has been active in the hip-hop industry for over 30 years and has made a name for himself by mixing classic hip-hop with modern styles. He has been recognized for his work in the field by receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Hip-Hop Awards.
The Movie
Deep Blue Sea is one of those popcorn flicks that doesn’t take itself too seriously. It starred a slew of mid-level actors (Saffron Burrows, Thomas Jane, Michael Rapaport, and pre-Thor Stellan Skarsgard) working in an underwater research facility to breed a superior strain of shark that could cure Alzheimer’s disease. Its most memorable moment came in a song that had LL Cool J morphing into a shark.
Although the movie has been tarnished in the years following its release, it still ranks as one of the most quotable schticks of all time, a reminder that there are no rules in pop culture. Despite its shoddy production values and poor acting, this movie was a must-watch for its clever and spooky shark-related gimmicks, from the shark-shaped ice cream cone to the shark-sized burger.
For those of us who remember the movie and its illustrious music video, the shark-shaped ice cream cone is the most impressive and enticing item on the menu, but it has to be the shark-sized burger that really catches the eye. That’s a big deal, given the size of the average burger on a typical American dinner plate. The other items on the menu include an undersized lobster and a slushy that has no clue that it isn’t made of chocolate. The slushy is probably the smallest item on the menu, but it still packs a big punch.
The Cast
LL Cool J has always been a fan of shark music, so it makes sense that the rapper would have lent his talents to a film centered around genetically modified superintelligent sharks. But the movie isn’t just a good time for fans of campy action; it also has its share of gruesome, bloody scenes.
Deep Blue Sea is a 1999 movie that revolves around a group of scientists trying to cure Alzheimer’s by using genetically modified mako sharks. It was directed by Renny Harlin and screen written by Duncan Kennedy. The main characters are Dr. Susan McCallister (Saffron Burrows), who tries to cure Alzheimer’s by using the DNA of the sharks’ brain cells, and Russell Franklin, a financial backer of her research.
McAlester’s ethics aren’t up to par, and she violates the law by making illegal modifications to the sharks’ brains. However, she is driven by her ill father’s suffering and a desire to help others. This drive and commitment make her the best character in the film, even though she’s portrayed as a psychopath.
After one of the sharks escapes from their research facility, McAlester and Franklin come to investigate what went wrong. They soon find themselves in a tense standoff with the sharks, who are unnerved by their human hosts’ erratic behavior.
The resulting battle is a classic ’90s Science Is Bad movie. The special effects are ’90s CGI at its worst, and the violence is gruesome.
There are some scary moments in this film, including when a shark chews through the arm of a scientist below his shoulder. The attack is accompanied by a large amount of blood gushing from the cut.
A few of the characters die, including a couple helicopter pilots. The sharks are incredibly brutal, slashing and biting their victims to death.
The movie has a good cast, featuring Thomas Jane as Carter Blake, who is a loner with a dark and troubled past; Samuel L. Jackson as Russell Franklin, the CEO of Aquatica who wants to see where her money is going; and LL Cool J as cook Preacher, who is a comic relief figure. The actors have a lot of fun with their roles, which helps to keep the movie from becoming too depressing.
The Ending
LL Cool J had been a rapper for years, but his acting career was relatively modest up to 1999, when Deep Blue Sea became his first big film. He’d worked as a bit actor in a few movies like 1990’s Toys and 1995’s Out-of-Sync, but this was the moment when he finally got a break that paid off.
Directed by Renny Harlin, Deep Blue Sea was part of a horror subgenre that included movies like Anaconda and Snakes on a Plane. It also was released a few years before the release of Sharknado, which had spawned a whole bunch of shark-themed movies.
This was a time when many of these horror films had their share of gimmicky elements. It also featured a cast that consisted of mid-level actors, including Saffron Burrows and Thomas Jane. Despite that, the movie ended up making $164.6 million at the box office.
That number might sound a little inflated, but it’s still pretty impressive for the year of 1999. It’s hard to imagine a lot of other artists getting that kind of traction, especially one as popular as LL Cool J.
He’d been an actor in a few other movies, but his most significant role in 1999 was as Preacher, an underwater research lab cook who gets eaten by a genetically engineered shark. It was a relatively minor role, but he had a fun cameo with his talking parrot, which was a welcome addition to the cast.
What’s more, LL Cool J was so great to work with, the director even changed the original ending of the movie to give him more screen time. During an interview, he revealed that originally, his character was meant to perish when the sharks attacked his lab. However, the writers decided to rewrite the storyline, allowing him to survive and aid in the battle against the antagonists.
LL Cool J’s acting career has since continued to thrive. He’s appeared in a handful of movies and has starred on a variety of TV shows, including NCIS: Los Angeles. He’s even hosted the Grammy Awards and Lip Sync Battle, two of the most popular reality competition series in the world.
