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Will Smith and Martin Lawrence Say Bad Boys Was First Written for Two 1980s SNL Stars
The 1995 action comedy "would've been a very different movie," Smith told Jimmy Fallon.
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence visited The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on June 4, to play a round of "True Confessions" — in which Smith shared one very strange ghost story — and to talk all things Bad Boys. Among the lore the actors shared: They weren't the actors originally meant to play the "Boys" in what is now a 30-year franchise.
While the project that evolved into Michael Bay's 1995 directorial debut probably would've been very funny, it's hard to imagine. Because the film's producers intended to cast two former Saturday Night Live cast members instead.
"Dana Carvey and Jon Lovitz were the original Bad Boys," Smith and Lawrence told Jimmy Fallon, when the Tonight Show Host asked who the initial stars involved were. Whaaat?
"That would've been a very different movie," Smith added.
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An SNL cast member from 1986-1993, Carvey was known for his impressions and original characters like The Church Lady, and currently cohosts the Fly on the Wall podcast with fellow SNL alum David Spade. Lovitz was a cast member from 1985-1990, costarring with Spade in many sketches (albeit none that showcased a hidden penchant for high-flying action stunts).
Martin and Lawrence went on to explain how the Martin star's sister Rae ultimately helped bring Smith on board.
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Dana Carvey and Jon Lovitz were the original Bad Boys stars
According to the original film's IMDB trivia, Bad Boys really was written for Carvey and Lovitz — when the movie was called Bulletproof Hearts. Amid the reasons it never got off the ground: Lovitz told the AV Club that "the script was awful."
During their Tonight Show interview, Lawrence confirmed that he'd told Smith that "the script's not good" when they first met after Lawrence's sister, Rae, convinced him the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star was a perfect fit for the part.
"I wanted to do it with Eddie Murphy," Lawrence told Fallon, citing a third SNL alum.
"I'm sitting right here, Martin," Smith laughed.
Per Bad Boys' IMDB trivia, Michael Bay bridged the gap between the clunky dialogue written for Carvey and Lovitz by asking Smith and Lawrence to improvise more authentic lines (some of which made it into the movie).
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Martin told Fallon that joining up with Smith was "one of the best moves I've ever made," calling Smith "one of the most talented actors out there."
"I mean, he's no Eddie Murphy," Fallon joked.
Watch Will Smith and Martin Lawrence talk Bad Boys: Ride or Die above, and watch them play "True Confessions" below. In the game, Lawrence makes another casting claim: That he was up for Chris Tucker's Rush Hour part opposite Jackie Chan.
