Since its release in 1995, Bad Boys has become a cult classic and a beloved action movie for fans all over the world. But did you know there’s much more to this film than just its explosive car chases and witty one-liners? From behind-the-scenes drama to surprising casting choices, we’ve dug up 11 Bad Boys movie facts you probably didn’t know. Get ready to revisit Miami’s most badass detectives with these Bad Boys movie facts you didn’t know.
The Original Bad Boys
Can you imagine a Bad Boys without Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. Well you almost would’ve because the original intention for the film was to cast Dana Carvey and Jon Lovitz, but the idea was eventually scrapped. Disney, the studio behind the project at the time, was initially attracted to Carvey due to his recent success with “Wayne’s World” and “Wayne’s World 2,” but Carvey ultimately backed out after a Las Vegas outing arranged by producer Don Simpson. The film then shifted hands to Columbia Pictures, where still producers of the project Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer decided to cast black actors for the lead roles.
The Original Bad Boys Name
Just like casting the film was actually almost called Bulletproof Hearts.
Arsenio as Mike Lowery
Will Smith was not the original top candidate for the role of Mike Lowrey. Before Will Smith was offered the role, it was offered to Arsenio Hall, who turned it down. Hall admitted that it was one of many bad choices he made at the time.
“You look back and say it wasn’t a bad decision because I’m happy with my life,” Hall told The Hollywood Reporter in 2013. “I’m a daddy or whatever. But then you realize, that’s not where I’m supposed to be. One day you really miss it.”
Bad Script = Improvised Lines
Writer George Gallo’s script for “Bad Boys” was heavily criticized by both the cast and crew. Even in the early days of the project, Lovitz described the script as “awful,” and Bay later admitted that “Bad Boys was a very bad script.” Producers eventually brought in the writing team of Michael Barrie and Jim Mulholland to fix the script. However even after the script was rewritten Bay encouraged Smith and Martin Lawrence to improvise many of their scenes, resulting in almost all of their lines being ad-libbed.
Shirt On? Shirt Off?
That infamous Will Smith running scene was supposed to be fully shirtless. Michael Bay wanted Will Smith to perform a foot chase sequence through the streets of Miami without a shirt on, but Smith refused. A compromise was reached, and Smith agreed to perform the scene wearing an unbuttoned shirt instead.
“So Michael Bay was shooting this scene, and I wanted to have my shirt on,” Smith recalled on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in January 2020. “And Michael was like, ‘Dude, I’m gonna make you a frickin’ movie star! Take your shirt off.”
“I was like, ‘Mike, come on, man, running with your shirt off? Come on, man.’ And he was like, ‘Dude, you don’t know! I know.’ So we compromised in that scene. I was like, ‘Mike, I have to have a shirt. I’ll have it open, just not off.’ And we compromised, and it was one of the iconic scenes from that movie. And to this day, every time I see Michael Bay, he goes, ‘Dude, I should be in for half!'”
Earful
Bay notes that they cast for Marcus’s son based on his ears; actor Martin Lawrence has notably large ears, which he frequently goofed on in his sitcom “Martin,” which ran from 1992-1997.
I Love You
The final scene in Bad Boys, in which Mike tells Marcus that he loves him, almost caused Will Smith to quit. He initially refused to say the line, because he didn’t think it was believable and Bay and SMith argued for so long that they almost lost an entire day of filming. However as you hear it in the film, Bay eventually convinced Smith to deliver it.
It’ll Cost You
Bay funded one scene in the film with his own money due to the relatively paltry budget of the film. Bay paid out of pocket for a chase scene featuring a Ferrari 355 Spider, which is now considered one of the film’s most iconic moments.
Opening Scene
That’s Michael Bay’s own Porsche in the opening carjacking scene.
Box Office Success
Bad Boys was made for a budget of $19 million, and made $141 million worldwide, making it Columbia’s highest-grossing movie of the year
Michael Bay’s First Feature Film
In 1995, Michael Bay directed his first feature film, Bad Boys, which gave Will Smith and Martin Lawrence their breakthroughs in movies. Bay had previously directed music videos and TV commercials, including Meat Loaf’s I’d Do Anything For Love and Divinyls’ I Touch Myself.
Message From the Founder (Me):
As a one-person team working hard to create quality content and celebrate the beauty and diversity of Black culture, I rely on the support of people like you. If you believe in what Blex Media stands for and enjoy the content I produce, please consider donating a cup of coffee. Your contribution helps me keep the site running will enable me to expand my team and improve Blex’s platform. Thank you for being a part of the Blex community!
-Sharifa