For “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” actor Ice-T, what started out as a small role has turned into 24 years with the long-running television series. The rapper shared this and more during an interview that was published on Feb. 16.
The actor met “Law & Order” creator Dick Wolf in 1995 while playing a drug dealer on “New York Undercover.” Wolf hired him for another role on “Exiled: A Law & Order Movie.”
The “Colors” artist recalled telling “New York Undercover” producer Andre Hall that after starring in the 1991 film “New Jack City,” he didn’t do television.
“I told Andre, ‘F—k you.’ I had just come off of ‘New Jack City’ in film, and didn’t need TV,” he told Variety. “Friendly though, like ‘Motherf—ker, I don’t do television. I’m a movie star.’ They gave me the whole ‘C’mon, you too big, now’ routine. So, I told Andre to give me a bad guy role and they found one in a character named Danny Up.”
The “New Jack Hustler” star, whose legal name is Tracy Lauren Marrow, also noted that his role on “Law & Order: SVU” was originally only supposed to be four episodes. He began playing Detective Odafin “Fin” Tutuola on “Law & Order: SVU” in season two.
“They wanted me to come out there and only do four episodes. At the time, I was trying to run a record label, so I was like, ‘Eh,’ ” he recalled. “Four episodes turned into 24 years.”
Marrow also starred in several films, including “Surviving The Game,” “Colors,” “The Glass Shield,” “Final Voyage” and “Breakin.'” He also had a successful career as a rapper, beginning with his first album, “Rhyme Pays,” and also starred in a reality show with his wife: “Ice Loves Coco.”
He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Feb. 17 in Los Angeles. The ceremony was live-streamed, and he told folks to watch online or “keep it Gangsta and Pull Up.”
The 65-year-old also shared a picture on Instagram that showed him posing with his wife, Coco Austin, and look-a-like daughter, Chanel Nicole Marrow, at the ceremony on Friday. Coco commented on the post, “So proud of Ice ! It was a great day!! #hollywoodstar.”
