Will Smith Was ‘Struggling’ With the Foul Language Used in ‘Bad Boys II’
Will Smith had his breakthrough film role starring in Michael Bay’s first Bad Boys film. He and Bay would reunite again for a sequel. But Smith confided that the movie’s use of language sometimes presented an issue on set.
Will Smith had trouble with the swear words in ‘Bad Boys’
Smith has expressed his discomfort over using swear words in his profession. The hip hop artist was firmly against putting profanity in his lyrics, partially due to his grandmother’s advice. But this vow hasn’t applied to some of the movies he’s done. Particularly in the Bad Boys franchise, which typically boasted R-rated films in large part due to the swearing in the movies.
Bad Boys II saw Smith swearing up a storm, but Smith thought this was necessary to accurately depict the film’s criminal underworld. Even if it did leave him feeling uneasy at times.
“We’re playing narcotics agents in Miami so that’s a really dark, grungy world and I wanted to commit to it. Even on the set I was struggling a little bit with the foul language but I decided if you’re gonna play this character you just gotta close your eyes and one hundred percent commit to it,” Smith once said according to Black Film. “It’s definitely rated ‘R’. The only way I could do justice to that is it had to be raw. I couldn’t ‘PG-13’ it; it’s rated ‘R’ meaning no one under 17 will be admitted without parents! Trey and I have already had that discussion and he’s gonna have to wait on this one.”
Perhaps the hardest scene Smith had to do was this take where he’s swearing at a young teenager. The actor couldn’t help think about his mother watching the film under that scenario.
“I just had to commit to the reality of the dialogue of that character. Every father wishes that he could do and say exactly that so I hope I get a reality pass on that one,” he said.
How ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ helped ‘Bad Boys’ and other Will Smith movies become a success
Smith was especially proud of the film when he watched a special screening of Bad Boys II with an audience. Smith was moved by the reaction and response the film had gotten. At the time, he theorized that his years on Fresh Prince helped audiences connect to him in Bad Boys II and other pictures.
“There’s a real connection that I think a lot of it comes from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, that there’s something about TV on a sitcom people really connect to the characters. It’s almost like people feel like they’ve watched me grow up,” Smith said.
Smith figured this meant that he and the audience had a bond that was deeper than a celebrity’s typical relationship with their fandom.
“They’ve watched me get married and then get divorced and then get re-married and then be happy and have kids and all of that and so people because of the television show there was a connection that was created and it’s almost like we’re friends more than watching a celebrity or watching someone that you don’t know make a movie,” he said.
Will Smith definitely knew there would be a ‘Bad Boys 3’ after a special encounter with Martin Lawrence
Smith and Lawrence recently came out with another successful Bad Boys film, and they’re already filming a fourth one. But before Bad Boys for Life hit theaters, fans had been clamoring for a third film for years. Smith himself was interested in making another sequel. But it was only after a special encounter with his co-star Lawrence that he knew the film would get made.
“I saw Martin [Lawrence] a few weeks ago,” Smith once told BBC Radio 1Xtra. “I haven’t seen him for about two years. We just looked at each other. We hugged. In that moment, we knew we were making another Bad Boys. We’re definitely doing another one.”
