'Such a Solid Dude': Bad Boys 4 Villain Actor Praises Will Smith and Talks Working on the Sequel (2024)

Bad Boys: Ride or Die's big bad has nothing but kind words for one of the summer blockbuster's top stars. Actor Eric Dane reveals what it was like to work alongside Will Smith while filming the acclaimed sequel.

Speaking alongside Jacob Elordi for Interview Magazine, Dane, who portrays former U.S. Army Ranger-turned-criminal James McGrath, opened up about his time with Smith and Martin Lawrence on the Ride or Die set. According to Dane, Smith is a "solid dude," and described his "awesome" experience working on the film. "Okay, how do I say this without being offensive to anybody? Because the experience was awesome. And Will Smith and Martin Lawrence could not be cooler human beings," he said. "Will Smith, you would get along great with him, dude. He is such a solid dude. He’s a fantastic actor. He is wildly talented. He’s super committed, Jacob. He cares so much about the project. He actually, you know, makes it better."

Dane stars alongside Elordi in the hit HBO drama series, Euphoria, portraying the polarizing Cal Jacobs. According to Dane, the Ride or Die shoot was more demanding than what he'd encountered on Euphoria, though the creative team and his co-stars made it easier to adjust as production progressed. "For the most part, the notes you have to hit shooting a Bad Boys movie are entirely different. I’m not suggesting one is better than the other, or more gratifying. It’s just different," Dane said. "It’s a great work environment. There wasn’t much being asked of me but those very specific notes, and I’m hoping that I hit every single one of them. I saw the movie twice."

Ride or Die sees Dane's antagonist character use his law enforcement connections to frame the fallen Miami Police Department chief, Captain Conrad Howard (Joe Pantoliano), and make it appear that he made underhanded deals with drug cartels. McGrath's plan sees long-time Detective Lieutenant Mike Lowrey (Smith) and Detective Lieutenant Marcus Burnett (Lawrence) spring into action to preserve Captain Howard's legacy and protect their loved ones from his wrath.

Bad Boys: Ride or Die Was a Big Success at the Box Office

Having made over $400 million at the box office and received solid critical reviews, Ride or Die proved to be a strong bounce back for Smith, who has been under fire since infamously slapping Chris Rock during the 94th Academy Awards in 2022 following a joke Rock made about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Smith and Lawrence alluded to the slap during the closing sequence of Ride or Die, with the sequel helping him land another lead role in Sony's planned sci-fi flick, Resistor.

Ride or Die also stars Jacob Scipio, Ioan Gruffuud, Paola Núñez, Vanessa Hudgens, Dennis McDonald, Tasha Smith, Tiffany Haddish, Melanie Liburd and Alexander Ludwig. The sequel's success has prompted discussions about a potential Bad Boys 5, with Smith and Lawrence open to making another sequel. Meanwhile, co-directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah have hinted at a location change for the franchise.

Ride or Die is now available to purchase/rent on major digital outlets, including Prime Video and Apple TV.

Source: Interview Magazine

Bad Boys: Ride or Die

Action

Adventure

Comedy

Fourth installment of the 'Bad Boys' film series.

Director

Adil El Arbi , Bilall Fallah

Release Date

June 7, 2024

Cast

Will Smith , Martin Lawrence , Vanessa Hudgens , Rhea Seehorn , Eric Dane , Melanie Liburd , Paola Núñez , Ioan Gruffudd

Writers

Chris Bremner , George Gallo

Main Genre

Action