Celebrating 30 Years of Bad Boys: Will Smith Reflects on a Legendary Film and the Love It Received

Will Smith is commemorating 30 years of Bad Boys!

The Men in Black actor, 56, shared a collaborative Instagram post with his co-star Martin Lawrence and the franchise’s official account on Monday, April 7, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the action series’ inaugural film.

“30 years ago @jerrybruckheimer, Don Simpson and @michaelbay took a leap of faith on us and Bad Boys was birthed!! Thankful for all the affection y’all have shown us throughout the years 👊🏾,” read the Instagram caption.

Smith featured numerous behind-the-scenes images from the original movie, including shots with Lawrence, 59, as they grinned at each other on set. He also included images of the film’s director, Michael Bay, and producer Jerry Bruckheimer.

In addition to photos of his co-star, Smith shared snapshots of the cast behind the scenes, including Michael Imperioli, Joe Pantoliano, Téa Leoni, and Theresa Randle.

Smith and Lawrence portray Miami detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Bennett in the series. Following the 1995 blockbuster, three additional films followed: Bad Boys II in 2003, Bad Boys for Life in 2020, and most recently, Bad Boys: Ride or Die in 2024. The franchise has amassed $1.2 billion at the box office with all four films, according to Collider.

Last year, Smith elaborated on the experience of shooting the first installment and disclosed details regarding his audition process.

“I was 25 years old. Marty Mar was 29. Just two young guys – who got lucky and were able to fulfill their dreams on the first attempt,” he wrote in the June 2024 Instagram post, mentioning that Lawrence’s sister encouraged her brother to invite Smith to audition for the part of Mike.

“I was hooked. ‘Let’s go! When can I see the script?’ Marty Mar’s face contorted. ‘Nawww – you can’t big Willie. The script’s not ready yet. You just need to trust me and commit,’ ” he wrote.

Smith’s caption went on, “But it was my opportunity to collaborate with a comedic genius like Martin – so I said, ‘you know what? F%## it. I’m in.’ And the rest is history.”

At the Los Angeles premiere of Bad Boys: Ride or Die in June 2024, Bruckheimer stated that there was “never a tedious moment” collaborating with the duo on set.

“They’re imaginative and enjoyable. They’re absolutely wonderful to collaborate with,” he remarked at the L.A. premiere. “There are never any disputes; we just have a great time going through the process, and it’s a lengthy endeavor to bring these to life.”

The first two Bad Boys films are available to stream on both Hulu and Peacock. The third, Bad Boys for Life, can be found on Hulu, and the fourth, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, is accessible on Netflix.