Bad Boys director Michael Bay has said that he would “absolutely” work with Will Smith after his recent Oscars incident with Chris Rock.
Bay helped turn Will Smith into a bonafide action star in the ’90s, directing the actor in Bad Boys and Bad Boys 2, which, together have grossed more than $400 million at the box office.
Bad Boys for Life featured Smith and co-star Martin Lawrence returning to their iconic characters without Bay as the director, but he does make a small cameo in the film.
Michael Bay on working with Will Smith
When asked about working with Smith again, Bay said told Entertainment Weekly, “Absolutely, 100 percent. He’s a very even-keeled guy. Very even-keeled.”
Bay has been promoting his new film Ambulance, which stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Jake Gyllenhaal, and has been asked repeatedly about Smith ever since the Oscars incident where he slapped Chirs Rock on stage because they have so much history working together.
Bay recently shut down a reporter who asked about Smith telling them, “I don’t really care. Hollywood gets very self-absorbed. There are babies getting blown up in the Ukraine right now. We should be talking about that. I really don’t care.”
Speaking further with Entertainment Weekly, he said:
“At first, immediately I’m like, ‘Did this just happen?’ Then I saw the yell from Will. That’s a real Will yell. Will is an amazing fighter. He’s studied boxing. First of all, it’s wrong to do, no matter what. Let’s just get that out there. But when people said, ‘Oh, he could have killed him.’ No, a slap is different. A punch? Yeah, you can kill someone. Will gave him a slap.”
Will Smith has since apologized to Chris Rock and the Academy, resigning from the institution. The Academy recently levied a 10-year ban to Smith, barring him from attending events.
Michael Bay’s Ambulance, starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Jake Gyllenhaal is now playing in theaters nationwide.
Shadow and Act spoke to Bay recently about 'Ambulance'
Michael Bay’s Ambulance, starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Jake Gyllenhaal is now playing in theaters nationwide.
S&A talked to him about the film.
On how this movie stands apart from his other films, Bay said, “I called Donna Langley, who’s President of the Universal Pictures here, and I said, ‘I’ve done enough action to last me a lifetime.’ And this is a movie about the study of tension because the movie gets big, [it has]all the LAPD and great LA shots. But I was interested in all the tension with the actors stuck inside an ambulance, and it was very intimate. The movie is intense, and it just doesn’t let up. And I’m the type of director that I don’t have a director chair. I don’t have a trailer. I’m holding a camera, I’m right there with the actors, And it was a fun experience.’
