Ving Rhames may have picked up a lollipop and stepped into Telly Savalas' shoes for a new version of "Kojak," but he wasn't a fan of the TV show as a child.
"'Kojak' wasn't on in my house. I grew up in Harlem one block away from the Apollo Theater, where a version of Kojak's show was happening every day in the neighborhood. There were thugs and criminals and detectives running around. Why would I want to watch a show about that?" he told the Boston Sunday Globe. "I think I've seen one rerun."
Rhames, who is best known for his roles in the 1994 film "Pulp Fiction" and the "Mission: Impossible" franchise, said his Theo Kojak will be different.
"You'll see my Kojak being very human. He interprets the law of the streets differently than what's on the written page," the 43-year-old actor said.
"Kojak" premiered on the USA Network last week as a two-hour movie. The crime drama will begin its regular weekly rotation Sunday.