<p id=”par-1_58″><em><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/law-and-order-svu/”>Law & Order SVU</a> </em>star Ice-T once shared that his biggest concern when doing the show is <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/law-order-svu-ice-t-makes-sure-doesnt-die-reading-every-script.html/”>his iconic character being killed off</a>. However, the rapper has had another issue with the series over the years. Ice-T believed that <em>SVU </em>characters could come off as too good sometimes, which set unrealistic expectations for the actors who played them.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-ice-t-on-the-most-common-mistake-law-amp-order-svu-writers-made-when-writing-his-character”>Ice-T on the most common mistake ‘Law & Order SVU’ writers made when writing his character</h2>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/law-order-svu-Ice-T.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Ice-T posing next to a police car on the set of ‘Law & Order SVU’.” class=”wp-image-3782655″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Ice-T | Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-2_42″>Ice-T has played his character Fin Tutuola for over two decades. He was initially <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/law-order-svu-only-planned-to-keep-ice-t-for-4-episodes-but-the-rapper-made-a-lasting-impression.html/”>only supposed to appear in four episodes</a> but left an unforgettable impression on the show’s creator Dick Wolf. This led to Ice-T becoming a permanent <em>SVU</em> cast member.</p>
<p id=”par-3_31″>Crafting the character was a collaborative effort between Ice-T and the writers. But it took some adjustment before <em>SVU</em>’s writers could nail down Ice-T’s personality when it came to developing Fin.</p>
<p id=”par-4_22″>“After you’re on a show for a long time, the writers get your voice,” Ice-T once said in an interview with <a href=”https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/icet-reveals-why-he-had-to-ditch-his-catchphrase-on-law-and-order-svu/news-story/a1bc831a7b5802c1965300eda728aa50″ target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>news.com.au</a>.</p>
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<p id=”par-5_39″>Ice-T would also offer his creative input to writers regarding Fin’s dialogue. Given Fin’s unique vocabulary, writing for the cop was different than writing for Olivia Benson or Elliot Stabler. Ice-T helped Fin’s use of slang sound more natural.</p>
<p id=”par-6_43″>“When I first came on the show, they used to try to write slang, and I was like, ‘let me do the slang.’ I ended up taking a lot of it out,” Ice-T added. “Fortunately, my punchlines aren’t corny — they’re written well.”</p>
<p id=”par-7_37″>But Ice-T felt <em>SVU </em>occasionally had another problem when handling his character. The California native believed they portrayed Fin and his team as too pure. This could sometimes affect how <em>SVU </em>fans viewed him and his co-stars.</p>
<p id=”par-8_67″>“The only thing that’s a little overbearing is that a lot of people kind of write us [the cast] off as holier than thou, which we’re not,” Ice-T said. “Mariska [Hargitay] and I are capable of mistakes, capable of being human, but these characters aren’t. So people try to hold me to the same level as Fin, and I’m like, ‘Ice-T makes bad jokes and talks s***!’”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-why-ice-t-said-he-d-be-like-fin-as-a-real-life-cop”>Why Ice-T said he’d be like Fin as a real-life cop</h2>
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<div class=”related-article related-article–simple”>
<span class=”related-article-flag”>Related</span>
<p class=”related-article__title”>
<a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/ice-t-felt-law-order-boss-dick-wolf-dangerous.html/”>
‘Law & Order SVU’: Ice-T Thought Dick Wolf Was a Dangerous Person When They First Met </a>
</p>
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<p id=”par-9_62″>Ice-T had strong negative feelings toward cops before his casting in <em>SVU</em>. Wolf felt that Ice-T would’ve had reservations playing an officer on the show, given his perception of law enforcement. Even Ice-T admitted it was the type of role he would’ve scoffed at <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/ice-t-wasnt-sure-wouldve-liked-acting-law-order-svu-younger.html/”>in his younger years</a>. Wolf gave the rapper advice that might’ve helped ease some of the rapper’s concerns.</p>
<p id=”par-10_81″>“When I got the job at <em>SVU</em>, Dick Wolf said to me, ‘Ice, you don’t like cops, right?’ I told him that during my criminal past, I didn’t hate cops — they were my opponents. [He asked,] ‘But you admit we need them, right?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ So, Wolf told me to play the cop that we need. And if I play the cop that we need, I won’t have any problems with it,” Ice-T recalled in an interview with <a href=”https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/ice-t-law-and-order-svu-mariska-hargitay-dick-wolf-1235525740/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Variety</a>.</p>
<p id=”par-11_41″>After playing Fin for decades, Ice-T developed more of an appreciation for officers. Additionally, he found Fin to be the exact kind of policeman he’d play in real life. But it wasn’t just because he’d played the character for so long.</p>
<p id=”par-12_102″>“People have said that our television shows are police propaganda, making the police look good. I understand that argument,” Ice-T said. “The cop I am on our show is an SVU detective. If I had to be a policeman in real life, it would be that type of cop because there’s no gray area. You’re chasing rapists and pedophiles. It’s hard to be a bad cop in that unit. On the B-side, if you only play bad guys all the time, what are you putting out there? You’re a celebrity, but you’re pushing the line of being a drug dealer or killer.”</p>