- Smith appeared in the fourth Bad Boys movie which came out this summer
- John Salley has explained why he can’t look Smith in the eye on set
- Smith has an unusual habit when memorising his lines
Will Smith can be “intense” on film sets, according to Bad Boys co-star John Salley – and sometimes he can’t quite look him in the eye.
Salley stars opposite Smith in the action-comedy film Bad Boys: Ride Or Die, which hit cinemas this summer. The former NBA player took on the role of antagonistic hacker-turned-technician-turned artist Fletcher.
In an interview with fellow pro-basketball veteran Byron Scott on the Fast Break podcast, Salley expanded on what Smith is like to work with – and his unusual methods of memorising lines.
“Will is [intense]. Will knows every line. … So when you’re [doing a scene with Will], you can’t look at him, because his lips are moving,” said Salley. “Because he’s saying your line, knowing his line is coming, because that’s how he remembers it. He’s like [pretends to mouth lines]. And you’re like, ‘What the fuck is wrong with your lips?’ I’m saying your line.’ It’s like, ‘I’m gonna say it!’
“‘You mouthed my lines back to me’!”
This isn’t the first time an actor has picked on Smith’s ability to memorise an entire script. His Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air co-star Karyn Parsons once had to call him out for mouthing her lines back to her on set. There are apparently episodes where viewers can see Smith doing this. .
“I came out, I’m saying it to myself, ‘I’m trying to get through it and just do my thing and keep it together. And you mouthed my lines back to me!'” she remarked to Smith in 2022. “For the first time! All rehearsal, you never did it. [But] the night in front of the audience, you went…[mouths words silently]. I was a nervous wreck. I was like, ‘Oh my God!’
What happens in Bad Boys 4: Ride Or Die?
Following the surprisingly warmly received Bad Boys threequel in 2020, Smith and Salley returned to the franchise for a fourth instalment.
In the new film, Smith and Salley’s characters’ late former captain is framed, and they must work to clear his name. Both end up becoming suspects themselves while they attempt to untangle a murky conspiracy involving drug cartels and the Miami Police Force.
The reviews haven’t been too shabby either – currently, Bad Boys 4: Ride Or Die stands at 76 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes.
