Last night Law & Order SVU celebrated a major milestone, airing their 300th episode. Since 2000, Ice-T has been a cast member of the crime drama, starring as NYPD detective Odafin ‘Fin’ Tutuola.
Ice-T says the reasons his character has lasted 13 seasons on the show is because “Detective Fin is the guy with a different type of sensibility.”
The 54-year-old rapper actor also said he not worried about losing his “street credibility,” after appearing as a TV cop for so many years. “Street credibility comes when your like 18 to 25,” he said during an interview with theGrio’s Chris Witherspoon.
“You either get your stripes or you don’t. You can’t ever lose it, you dig what I’m saying? My credibility transferred over to me being a success. At some point you have to evolve. You have to say ‘okay I’ve proven that I can be the toughest guy on the block now let me show you I can be the toughest guy in the world.’”
Ice-T is also the star of E!’s reality show Ice Loves CoCo, which follows he and his wife Coco as navigate Hollywood life. Season 3 premieres October 28.
CoCo is is often heavily scrutinized by the media for risqué photos of her that often surface. However Ice-T stands by his wife, and says he thinks she’s a great role model.
“She’s [CoCo] 33, still sexy, swimsuit model, but she’s married. So see, there’s another dynamic here. It’s not like she’s not the model that’s running from athlete to athlete, jumpin around doin thangs. She’s been married for 12 years, and still got that sexy thang goin. I think she’s a great role model, not just because she is a great business woman, and making moves, but because she’s got a man and she’s keepin her man, and i’m not an easy dude. I’m not a pushover. Ice is a problem.”
Follow Chris Witherspoon on Twitter at @WitherspoonC