• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
LL Cool J says he almost drowned to death on the set of Deep Blue Sea

Home> Celebrity

Published 16:43 25 Feb 2023 GMT

LL Cool J says he almost drowned to death on the set of Deep Blue Sea

The rapper claimed he almost drowned when a crew member 'bailed' on him

Ali Condon

Ali Condon

LL Cool J has revealed that he once almost drowned on the set of a film when a crew member 'bailed' on him.

The rapper had appeared in the 1999 sci-fi horror flick Deep Blue Sea, a film about a team of researchers looking for the cure of Alzheimer's disease by genetically modifying sharks.

Of course, it isn't long before the genetically modified sharks hunt down and kill their creators.

LL Cool J played the research facility cook, Sherman 'Preacher' Dudley, alongside Samuel L Jackson as Russell Franklin.

Advert

Despite the smaller role, Preacher was definitely a badass, and even got to deliver the first blow to the nightmarish super sharks.

LL Cool J almost drowned once, but he doesn't seem that fazed by it.
REUTERS / Alamy Stock Photo

While (spoiler alert) Sherman Preacher Dudley manages to survive the shark attack in the film, LL Cool J almost wasn't as lucky when a day on the film set went horribly wrong.

Speaking to Hot Ones this week, the 'Luv U Better' rapper explained how it all went down.

Advert

During the interview, host Sean Evans asked LL Cool J, real name James Todd Smith, if it was true that 'an animatronic shark's grasp on [his] left leg almost caused [him] to drown on the set of Deep Blue Sea."

LL Cool J replied: "A thousand per cent true. Facts. One hundred percent facts."

LL Cool J's time on the set of Deep Blue Sea almost went horribly wrong.
Everett Collection Inc / Alamy Stock Photo

He explained: "I was on the set - I was probably number 479 on the call sheet - I was in the middle of a take and then [they called] 'Lunch!', and the guy holding the little [shark] joystick goes..." - the rapper mimicked the crew member suddenly letting go of the equipment and dashing for lunch.

Advert

"They just bailed on me, and there I was. It was, like, real!"

When the rapper tried to get himself out of a sticky situation, he only made things worse.

"They gave me this little breathing apparatus, like something you blow out and then breathe in.

LL Cool J played research facility cook, Sherman 'Preacher' Dudley.
TCD/Prod.DB / Alamy Stock Photo

Advert

"I blew out, breathed in, all water! Took it to another level. I ended up struggling getting out."

Eventually, though, the rapper managed to free himself from the clutches of the mechanical shark's jaw and climb out of the tank.

"When I got out, climbed out, and there was one dude sitting there with a cigarette, like, 'I saw what happened.' So it was cool."

This experience sounds like a lot of things: Terrifying, deadly, genuinely concerning.

Advert

What it doesn't sound like, is cool.

Featured Image Credit: First We Feast/YouTube / Moviestore Collection Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo

Topics: Celebrity, Film and TV

Ali Condon
Ali Condon

Ali is a journalist for LADbible Group, writing on all things film, music, and entertainment across Tyla, LADbible and UNILAD. You can contact Ali at [email protected].

X

@alicondon

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

6 hours ago
12 hours ago
a day ago
  • 6 hours ago

    Shocking story of how Jack Nicholson discovered his sister was actually his mother

    The actor believed his biological mom was his sister and that his grandma was his mom

    Celebrity
  • 12 hours ago

    Kate Beckinsale reveals her mother has died in her arms decades after she found her father dead

    The Underworld actor described her mom as her 'compass'

    Celebrity
  • a day ago

    Rob Kardashian shares heartbreaking reason he avoids being seen in public

    The father-of-one has opened up about why he doesn't appear on 'The Kardashians', as he speaks candidly to his sister Khloé

    Celebrity
  • a day ago

    Denise Richards makes shocking accusation against estranged husband following his divorce filing

    After the filing for divorce earlier this month, unsettling details of the court case have emerged online

    Celebrity
  • Isla Fisher reveals her final thought when she almost drowned after movie stunt went ‘horribly wrong’
  • Brad Pitt admits his ‘diabolical’ behavior on movie set caused production to pause
  • Last Breath’s gripping dramatization of deep-sea diving accident is the best survival thriller in years
  • Wizard of Oz fans shocked after learning Judy Garland was drugged and actors almost died in horrific incidents on set