Bad Boys came out in 1995 and was arguably the first major step in Will Smith’s journey to becoming one of the biggest stars in the history of Hollywood. The film proved he could carry a big action project, subsequently allowing him to gain roles in other high-profile '90s hits like Independence Day and Men in Black. Michael Bay, who directed the classic cop movie, famously made Smith run with an open shirt in a scene, something Smith disagreed with. But Bay clearly knew that he was helping make Smith a true movie star, and the sex appeal would do just that. Now, Smith has apologized to the filmmaker over the disagreement and did so in a fun way.
The Bad Boys actor recently released a new memoir about his career, and Michael Bay revealed on Instagram that he received one as a Christmas gift from his longtime collaborator. It’s a thoughtful present, but the message inside is what makes it really cool. While by the pool at his beautiful house, Bay shared the words and reminded the world that he was right about opening up the shirt. Here’s the post:
The old adage that “sex sells” is pretty accurate, and it was especially true for Will Smith as he quickly catapulted to cinematic stardom. So it was only fitting that he'd find a way to say thank you to his director. Of course, as with anything, Smith does stuff in style, and the note and book are humorously on brand for him. Though Michael Bay was a first-time director at that point, he had some keen foresight, and it's nice to see that Smith can now appreciate the creative decision.
The Bad Boys franchise continues to endure in a big way even today. Though fans had to wait a long time for a follow-up to the 2003 sequel, Will Smith and co-star Martin Lawrence finally returned with a bang with Bad Boys for Life. And ultimately, in early 2020, it became one of the biggest movies in the world before the pandemic hit. With the success of the third film, a fourth installment is in development, but let’s hope we don’t have to wait 17 years for it.
The I, Robot star's career has truly been one of the most fascinating in Hollywood, and now he’s a sort of elder statesman without being very old. That status has led to some new perspectives about his life and career. He truly set out to become a star, taking advice from the greats like Arnold Schwarzenegger and carefully taking roles in order to increase his stardom. It’s crazy and kind of funny to think that part of it can be attributed to a shirtless scene from one of his earliest movies.
Will Smith may not be doing a ton of those scenes now, but he still has a ton of upcoming projects in the works. His old director also has a new film, Ambulance, slated to hit Netflix this year, and it seems to be filled with the speed and heat that you would expect from the action director. Hopefully, we'll see the pair link up again soon and, who knows, if it happens, maybe Smith will open his shirt again for a new sequence.
The first two Bad Boys movies are available to stream on Peacock, while the third is on Hulu.
