Will Smith admitted he struggled using foul words in Bad Boys movies.

Martin Lawrence, Will Smith in Bad Boys

Will Smith is widely known for his buddy cop action-packed comedy film Bad Boys, and even though the movies were rated R, that did not stop them from emerging as a commercial box-office success.

Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in Bad BoysMartin Lawrence and Will Smith in Bad Boys

The franchise spawned four installments, with the latest title Bad Boys: Ride or Die to premiere this year, and somehow it remains a popular movie choice for fans. One of the things that make it quite unforgettable for the viewers is indeed the dark theme and foul language used.

Will Smith Didn’t Want To Use Foul Words On Bad Boys Movies

Will Smith gave an interview in 2003 via Black Film and talked about the most controversial part of the Bad Boys films. The actor acknowledged that there’s an excessive use of bad words in the movies, and as much as he wanted to get away with them, he had to do his job as an actor.

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.

Smith struggled with the use of foul language, especially the controversial ‘N’ word. He admits to never using it in real life, but being an actor, he must deliver. “The only way I could do justice to that is it had to be raw,” he quipped.

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There was no way they could turn the film into a PG-13 because the narrative itself warrants an R rating. No one under 17 years of age is allowed to watch it unless they are accompanied by adults. Still, no parent would want their children to sit through an entire film and listen to cuss words.

Martin Lawrence and Will Smith in Bad BoysMartin Lawrence and Will Smith in Bad Boys

The Emancipation actor knew that getting Bad Boys an R rating would affect the viewership. It will be restricted to a certain age group, but it’s not really that bad at all. If anything, it made the film even more special because it is a dark comedy and it stayed true to itself.

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There’s only one thing Smith wished fans would know: “Hopefully once someone is 17 or 18 years old they can tell the difference between fantasy and reality.”

Bad Boys Franchise Will Always Be Rated-R

Director Joe Carnahan once spoke about the franchise and how they never planned to create a PG-13 version. He said in an interview via Collider: 

My theory is people gravitate more toward R-rated films than PG-13, I think the PG-13 thing is betwixt and between now. It’s not fundamentally rooted in any metric where you can go, ‘Okay, we can prove that this had success because it was PG-13.’ Unless things change, I think we’re making a Bad Boys film, and that’s an R-rated movie.

martin lawrence will smith bad boys ride or dieMartin Lawrence and Will Smith in Bad Boys: Ride or Die

Indeed, movies like Deadpool and Joker achieved phenomenal box office sensation despite being rated-R titles. Many factors contribute to the success of a film, and sometimes, the rating does the trick!

Bad Boys: Ride or Die arrives in theaters on June 6, 2024.