Will Smith and Tom Cruise are undoubtedly among the most celebrated actors in Hollywood. Both have led successful action franchises and have shown their versatility in both comedic and dramatic roles.
Another similarity between the two is their astonishing commitment to their roles. For instance, Tom Cruise famously continued filming a scene for “Mission Impossible: Fallout” even after breaking his ankle, a take that was included in the final film.
Directors of “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, revealed that Will Smith displayed a similar level of dedication during the filming of the latest sequel to the iconic “Bad Boys” series.
El Arbi recounted an incident where Smith sustained a leg injury while shooting. “Will got hurt,” he said. “Will had something with his leg. He just kept on running and didn’t say anything at the time. He’s really running on a bridge in Miami, the same as in the first Bad Boys from 20-30 years ago. It’s beautiful to see that passion and dedication.”
Fallah shared more about the aftermath: “The next day he came in and it was in cast, and we were like ‘oh what happened!’” Remarkably, the scene where Smith injured himself was impressive enough to make it into the movie’s final cut.
Despite being 55 and 59 respectively, Smith and his co-star, Martin Lawrence, were deeply involved in performing stunts for this latest movie. El Arbi noted, “They would always do the first takes themselves. Even though we’d say ‘ahhh I don’t know about that,’ they were adamant: no, no, we got to do it, we’ve got to try it.
“Obviously when it’s super dangerous, stunt performers are necessary. But they always pushed to do as much as possible themselves,” he continued.
El Arbi also highlighted a particularly daring stunt involving a Chinook helicopter that Lawrence performed himself. “We were like ‘you sure you want to do this Martin? Yes, yes I’ll do everything,’” he recalled.
Fallah then discussed the extensive preparation undertaken by Smith and Lawrence for the film, “With Will and Martin, they were training a lot for this one. The themes of the movie are very important for them as individuals because there’s a lot of parallel between what’s happening in the movie and in real life. Martin was always boxing, training, geared up to do a lot of action as it’s integral to his character. Will is always ready to go, ready to run, ready to do it and proving that they still got it.”
“That’s what makes this movie so energetic and cool, that it’s proving that they still got it,” Fallah added.
Comparing my own resilience at 20-something to Smith’s indomitable spirit and capability, it’s clear that his ability to perform despite such a painful injury and ensuring it enhances the film’s final cut truly shows he’s still got what it takes.
“Bad Boys: Ride or Die” released on June 5, and promises to be another thrilling addition to the beloved series.