Will Smith's Bad Boys co-star reveals actor's 'intense' behind-the-scenes habit

Retired NBA star John Salley, who co-starred alongside Will Smith in three of the four Bad Boys movies, has spoken about working with the actor on set.

Salley, 60, appeared in the first two titles as hacker-turned-Miami PD technician Fletcher. This past summer, he returned for the action comedy franchise’s fourth entry, Bad Boys: Ride or Die.

While appearing on an episode of the Fast Break podcast last month with fellow pro basketball veteran Byron Scott, Salley recalled Smith’s intensity behind the scenes.

“Will is [intense]. Will knows every line,” said the former Detroit Piston’s center-forward. “So when you’re [doing a scene with Will], you can’t look at him, because his lips are moving. 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 f*** is wrong with your lips?’ I’m saying your line.’ It’s like, ‘I’m gonna say it!’” Salley added.

This isn’t the first time Smith’s acting quirk has been mentioned. During HBO’s 2020 Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion special, Smith’s co-stars Tatyana Ali and Karyn Parsons called him out for mouthing their lines during the original live tapings of the sitcom episodes.

“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! For the first time! All rehearsal, you never did it. [But] the night in front of the audience, you went…[mouths words silently],” Parsons recalled, with Ali chiming in: “You did it to me, too.”

Smith, who, in the early Nineties, became one of the biggest movie stars in the world, has since faced a career setback after he slapped comedian Chris Rock on stage at the 2022 Oscars.

His newest movie, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, which sees him reteam with Martin Lawrence, is just the latest step in his career comeback.

The movie, which was mostly favored by critics, was praised by The Independent’s Clarisse Loughrey for being “more nihilistic, maximalist fun” in her three-star review.

“Bad Boys: Ride or Die has learned a few valuable lessons from the Fast & Furious franchise — dumb and loud, executed with the right enthusiasm, can feel like a warm hug,” she wrote.