LL Cool J was nearly killed by an animatronic shark while making the 1999 movie Deep Blue Sea.
The rapper played a chef in the horror film — about a group of scientists at a remote underwater research facility who are hunted by the highly intelligent genetically engineered sharks they created in a bid to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease — and he’s revealed he nearly drowned when a remote-controlled shark grabbed his leg and held him underwater.
“One of them almost drowned me. At that time, the animatronic sharks weren’t AI; they were controlled by a guy with a joystick.”
“He pushed the button, the shark grabbed my leg, then they called lunch, and the shark just parked me underwater. After I managed to pull my leg out and get out of there, there was one dude left on set sitting there with a cigarette, and he went: ‘I guess you made it out, huh?’ ” he told The Guardian.
LL Cool J went on to admit he had a wonderful time making the movie, even if filming was precarious at times.
“Making that film was dangerous, with a lot of water flying around, but it was a great experience. I had a fun time working with Sam [L. Jackson]. Watching him get eaten was my favorite part,” he added.
The rapper’s co-star Thomas Jane previously admitted he was terrified of sharks before filming the movie, and his underwater scenes filmed with real creatures in the Bahamas filled him with terror.
“The first day, I was in a cage, but the next day, they swam me 30 feet down … Then this guy yanks the breather off me, and the water’s churning with blood and guts and stuff … It was so terrifying that I don’t want to remember it,” he told Entertainment Weekly.
