Actor James Todd Smith. Rapper LL Cool J. Whichever. You'd just better not sell him short.
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"You're my first a.k.a.," I say, in the sexiest voice I can muster.
The big man looks me up and down. "I seriously doubt that," he says, his voice as smooth as silk. Then he laughs his killer laugh. And why shouldn't James Todd Smith be laughing? The world is his. Whether he's in front of tens of thousands of adoring fans as LL Cool J or on screen in a raft of films as James Todd Smith, everything he touches seems to turn to gold. Or platinum.
Smith comes bounding into the Peninsula hotel on Fifth Avenue, his loopy smile leading the way. He's wearing a bright red Kansas City Chiefs hat, a throwback Chiefs jersey (#16, Len Dawson, who led the Chiefs to victory in the 1970 Super Bowl, and no, he's not a Chiefs fan, he just likes the color), a Corum watch, diamond earrings as big as my nipples, silver dog tags encrusted with diamonds and a wedding ring that looks like brass knuckles edged with--what else?--diamonds. His body is boxer-hard, with tattoos sneaking out from his shirt sleeves.
Smith might not be the first rapper to achieve movie fame, but after more than 20 roles--ranging from Toys to Deep Blue Sea to Charlie's Angels to S.W.A.T.--he's proven to be bankable, hard-working and eminently likable. In his new film, Mindhunters, he plays a Philadelphia homicide detective who's sent to a remote island with a group of FBI agents to be trained in tracking serial killers. When one of the agents turns out to be a killer, they have to use their skills to figure out who it is and stop him.
The film, directed by Renny Harlin, also stars Val Kilmer, Christian Slater and Jonny Lee Miller. It's the second time Smith has worked with Harlin; their first film, Deep Blue Sea, was a surprise hit. And if Smith is right, this one will be, too.
"It's a popcorn movie, for sure," he says earnestly. "Scary, smart--it gave me the willies when I saw it."
Then the waiter comes by to see if we want anything. "Do you have potatoes?" Smith asks.
The waiter nods. "Baked?" Smith asks. Yessir. "Okay, then, I'd like a baked potato, without butter or sour cream."
"If you eat potatoes at the right time," he says, turning to me, "they soak the water out from under your skin and tighten it up."
"And if you eat them at the wrong time?"
Smith smiles. "Then your butt'll be around your neck."
Okay. Time to change the subject. "What movies got to you when you were young?" I ask the New York native, who turns 36 this January. Smith starts bouncing around in his chair. "Oh, I'm a huge fan of movies. You name it. Everything from the unfairly overlooked Bruce Lee films--he was such a great action figure, so charismatic--to The Godfathers, both I and II. I loved Scarface, I actually went out and bought a Porsche because of that movie. I think Snatch was an amazing movie. I love that director [Guy Ritchie]."
"And which part of making movies do you like the most?"
"The research is great because you get into another person's head. For S.W.A.T., it was so cool that I got to do research with the LAPD. For Mindhunters, I went to Philadelphia and got with the homicide detectives--hung out, went around with them, looked at mug shots and victims' photos. It was cool, really cool. I did all of my homework, in order to understand how sensitive or numb I should be. You know how those guys act while looking at photos of victims? The same way a bank teller is when he's counting money. Just as removed as can be." Here he mimes the act of counting money, lots and lots of it. "My character is a cop. The rest of them are FBI trainees. Let's just say that my character has a bit more experience."
I roll my eyes--even Smith must know how funny he sounds. "Okay," he admits, "but this was my biggest role to date. And I worked with some great people. Jonny Lee Miller did an incredible job. You know who he is?"
I nod. "I like him a lot. But is he always going to be Angelina Jolie's first husband...?"
Smith swats my hand. "I don't know. This guy is really good. I think that after Mindhunters, she just might be his first wife."
So what's the difference between LL Cool J and James Todd Smith?
"LL has been doing this a long time, and he knows exactly what his fans want and how to give it to them. I would never, ever turn my back on the people that have been so good to me for so long. Never. James Todd Smith wants everyone to know that I'm still in a position to grow as an actor, get further along, get more people to understand how dedicated I am to this craft. I'm willing to expose myself, dig deeper. Do whatever it takes to be good at this thing."
Next up for Smith is the noirish Slow Burn, costarring Ray Liotta. "I've been a fan of his for many years," says Smith. "We hit it off very well. An absolutely cool guy. And then I'm trying to figure out, what next? A lot of offers are coming in, but I'm thinking it over, trying to do the right thing."
Somehow, you just know that James Todd Smith will figure it out. And that whatever it is, it'll be a big hit.
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