1995’s Bad Boys was a monumental film not just for actor Will Smith but also for directed Michael Bay as it was his first feature-length film. They later reunited for Bad Boys II in 2003, creating a multi-million franchise that made Smith a known face in the industry.
Despite the fame, Smith hated this one thing about the franchise: swearing. On multiple occasions, Smith has stated that he avoids swearing in his movies, even in his music, because of his grandmother’s advice. In the end, Smith had to swear in the movies in order to bring authenticity to the role.
Will Smith didn’t want to swear in the Bad Boys franchise
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in Bad Boys (1995)
In a 2003 interview with Black Film, actor Will Smith explained that he had to swear in Bad Boy II to make the scenes look authentic. He explained that he was fully committed to the role (via Black Film),
“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. 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.”
On multiple occasions, Will Smith has stated that he struggles with swearing in his movies. Even when he was a rapper, he didn’t use foul language in his songs. It is to be noted that Smith didn’t hold back any swearing when he slapped Chris Rock on-stage during the 2022 Oscars.
The actor also talked about using the N-word
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in Bad Boys
In the same interview, Smith was also asked about the usage of the N-word in the film. The actor explained that he had to use it because of the role,
“I’ve never used it but as an actor, I was having to tell myself to commit to the moment. That was really hard for me to not think about you know my mother’s gonna see it and what are people gonna say. I had to commit to the reality of the scene here’s a 15-year-old boy coming to take my niece out on her first date and we can not allow this boy to walk away from this door thinking that he is gonna have s*x with this girl! The character that I went into was the drunk uncle with a pistol. The entire scene is adlibbed so when you cut to the little boy’s face that’s real fear. 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.”
The success of Bad Boys (1995) led to the creation of Bad Boys II (2003). The sequel received some negative reviews but still managed to perform well at the global box office, earning roughly $273 million.
Will Smith says Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was important for his career
Will Smith in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Further in the interview, Smith explained that his Fresh Prince of Bel-Air days were quite important for his career,
“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 was struggling financially in 1990 when the NBC television network signed him to a contract and made a sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, around him. The sitcom massively contributed to making Smith the well-known celebrity he is today.
