If you think that all Hollywood hunks are comfortable taking off their clothes for the camera – then think again! A-list stud Will Smith just released a self-titled memoir and in it, he reveals that he once had a major disagreement with director Michael Bay over how a scene in the 1995 action classic Bad Boys would play out. According to the actor, Bay wanted him to appear shirtless in the scene, but Smith admits he wasn’t quite ready to shed his clothes just yet.
“One day, Michael Bay and I had one of our biggest disputes,” Smith writes. “This was the first time I had ever worked out. I had put on 12 pounds, and for the first time in my life, I had muscles… There’s a famous scene where my character chases a car on foot over a bridge… Michael was demanding that I do the scene with no shirt.”
Insider reports that the disagreement over the shirt led to the two having a “heated argument.” Smith, who says that he wasn’t secure with his body at the time, told Bay that ditching his shirt would be “corny” and the director responded by saying that because he’s playing a “badass cop” in Miami, it would be acceptable.
“No shirt, dude! Just take it off,” Bay responded. “Trust me and do what I say. I’m trying to make you a superhero!”
The two eventually reached a comprise where Smith would instead wear an unbuttoned shirt in the scene. Smith said that with the undone shirt, he didn’t feel “completely naked and vulnerable.” After filming the scene, Bay was “thrilled” and smacked Smith on his bare chest and screamed, “I JUST MADE YOU A FUCKING MOVIE STAR!”
While this is the most detailed account we’ve ever heard of this story, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard Smith open up about his shirtless journey with Michael Bay and Bad Boys. In 2020 interview with Jimmy Fallon, Smith joked about how thin he was in this “iconic” scene and how Michael still claims that he helped make him a major movie star. Take a look below:
Woo! So what do you think? Should Will Smith have completely ditched his shirt in that scene? Did it work out with just the unbuttoned shirt? Sound off in the comments below with all your hot thoughts!
[Will Smith’s Hottest Moments]
Nothing to say about that bit of cinematic history, but I did just watch Smith in “King Richard,” and was thinking, after his excellent portrayal of Richard Williams, father of Venus and Serena (and three other daughters), that we might have an Oscar winner!
An ally to our eyes.
who the hell cares! this shit is so old, didn’t care then and don’t care now. This relates to The Sword readers how?
It’s as interesting as anything else I guess. Just depends on the reader. No need to be hateful.