Page 62 - Will Smith: A Biography of a Rapper Turned Movie Star

Will Smith
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white—it’s green. The real key is that the more black
actors are successful at the box office, the more
opportunities that is going to open up.”1
Though he missed out on the role of Robin, another
opportunity was just ahead. Two movie producers, Don
Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, had wanted for some time
to make a police action movie. Bad Boys was to be a
combination comedy and drama starring the comedic
actors Jon Lovitz and Dana Carvey.
When plans to hire Lovitz and Carvey did not work
out, Simpson and Bruckheimer tapped the comedian
Martin Lawrence for one of the parts. Smith strongly
hoped to get the other lead role in Bad Boys. For one
thing, he was familiar with Lawrence’s work and liked
the idea of being in a movie with him. He also thought
being in an action comedy would be challenging as well
as fun. Finally, if the movie was a success, it would give
Smith’s career a huge boost. True, he had done a good
job in Six Degrees of Separation. But that was a quirky
character study, the type of movie that does not draw a
huge audience. The movies that attract the most viewers
tend to be well-made action films.
This time, Smith got the role he wanted. Bad Boys began
filming in 1994. The themes were straight-forward—good
against evil, and opposites attract. The plot had twists and
turns, but basically involved finding the thieves who had
stolen $100 million worth of illegal drugs from a police
station’s evidence room.