US TV

Howard: 'Mandela influenced L&O: LA role'

Published Wednesday, Oct 6 2010, 11:44 BST | By Morgan Jeffery

Terrence Howard has revealed that playing Nelson Mandela in upcoming film Winnie influenced his new role on Law & Order: Los Angeles.

The actor will play Deputy District Attorney Joe Dekker on the NBC crime spinoff.

He told TV Guide: "The most important part of [Mandela] was his legal appetite and his appetite for moral rightness. When we finished the movie, I wasn't finished being a lawyer."

Howard added that another strong inspiration for his character was Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall.

"Thurgood has a real soft spot, but his belief in principle overweighed any amount of unnecessary mercy," he explained. "My character, Dekker, doesn't want people to be found guilty. What he's hoping is that the defendant will prove their innocence. He just wants the truth."

He also suggested that the character will become emotionally invested in his criminal cases.

"I ended up breaking down and crying while I was questioning someone on the stand," he said.

Howard will make his first appearance on Law & Order: Los Angeles tonight at 10/9c on NBC.