Fans of Martin Lawrence and Will Smith are excited for their return as Miami detectives Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowrey in “Bad Boys 4.” But Lawrence recently revealed that his comedy mentor Eddie Murphy was his first choice to play Lowrey.
The 58-year-old also revealed that his sister, Ursula Lawrence, suggested Smith play the role alongside her famous brother, and Lawrence says he made the right choice. During an interview with YouTuber Funny Marco that premiered on March 26, the “Martin” star explained how the two ended up working together in the film.
“I had a deal with Sony,” replied Lawrence. “And uh, and this was a movie that they brought to me to see if I wanted to do, and I just had to find a partner to do it with. And so I was thinking about doing it with Eddie Murphy and all that, but you know he costs too much.”
Murphy has a net worth of $200 million and makes anywhere between $4 million and $20 million for a role. Lawrence went on to say that Ursula suggested Smith, who received nearly $40 million for each of the “Men In Black” movies, and five minutes after meeting with the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” star, he knew he was the right person for the role.
“But I picked the right person because my sister … was the one who told me, you know, ‘You should do it with Will’ you know,” Lawrence continued. “You know, ‘two sitcom stars —y’all coming together to uh meet on the big screen, that, that, that could be something special’ and uh, so me and Will had a dinner and uh, after five minutes of talking to Will, yeah.”
“He added, ‘He’s the best salesman ever, you know. So I couldn’t say no.’”
Fans reacted to the interview on social media, and many agreed that Smith was the better choice, despite their love of the “Coming to America” star.
“Love Eddie Murphy but Will Smith was the better choice for bad boys,” replied one fan. “Definitely made the right choice,” echoed another. “Will & Martin could make 20 of these and I would watch every single one of them,” added another fan. “Gotta thank his sister,” noted one.
Lawrence is a big fan of Murphy and credited him for inspiring his stand-up career, as well as comedy legend Richard Pryor. “Eddie is the reason, along with Richard Pryor, is the reason I do comedy, those two,” he told ABC News in 2023. “Eddie took it to rock star status. I was like, ‘Wow. I never seen that.’ And I said, ‘Wow, that’s my man, Eddie Murphy.”
Lawrence’s sister Ursula also reportedly inspired the infamous character Sheneneh in his sitcom “Martin,” which is based on her and other women in his family.
Murphy and Lawrence may not have starred in the “Bad Boys” films together, but they did star as partners sentenced to life in prison in the 1999 film “Life.”
But soon they could be family because the “Beverly Hills Cop” star’s son, 34-year-old Eric Murphy, is dating 28-year-old Jasmin Lawrence, Martin’s daughter. The duo began dating in 2021 and are not engaged despite reports.
But Jasmin did catch the bouquet at her brother, Eric Murphy’s wedding in July 2022, sparking conversations about which father would end up footing the bill.
Eddie Murphy's son and Martin Lawrence's daughter are finally engaged ❤️ who father will pay for the wedding 👀? pic.twitter.com/sc4B6yHLyj
— Black Millionaires ® (@Blackmillions_) January 22, 2024
“Bad Boys: Ride or Die” will premiere on June 7 in theaters.
