Fans of Martin Lawrence and Will Smith are enthusiastic about the return of their characters Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowery in the fourth installment of “Bad Boys.”
The two actors have starred in the beloved franchise as friends and narcotics cops living in Miami, Florida, since the first film debuted in 1995. But a shakeup in this new cast has many voicing their mixed feelings.
Last May, production revealed that “Why Did I Get Married?” actress Tasha Smith would take over Theresa Randle’s role as Marcus’ wife, Theresa Burnett. The switch-up was revealed after a viral video showing Randle in a concerning state.
“I love Tasha Smith, but why did they get rid of my girl Theresa Randle?” wrote one person on X. A second person asked, ‘Wait. Tasha Smith is replacing Theresa Randle in Bad Boys 4? WHY?”
One person replied, “Theresa Randle is sick.”
A short 16-second clip shows Randle wearing an oversized Disneyland resort sweatshirt while sitting on a walker with blue latex gloves on her hands as she spoke to a young boy out of the camera’s frame. Assuming she was battling with an illness or drug abuse, fans began wishing her a speedy recovery.
"Bad Boys" actress Theresa Randle was seen using a walker shortly after it was announced that Tasha Smith will replace the actress as Martin Lawrence’s wife in the fourth installment of the film. pic.twitter.com/lqVlppVgaj
— theJasmineBRAND (@thejasminebrand) May 4, 2023
After the first film, Randle also appeared in 2003’s “Bad Boys II” and 2020’s “Bad Boys for Life.”
Neither Lawrence or Smith acknowledged Randle’s video, nor did they mention her character during the recent press run for “Bad Boys: Ride or Die.”
But that hasn’t stopped fans online from voicing their displeasure about the new film.
“Theresa Randle getting replaced with Tasha Smith in the #BadBoys franchise is a crime that will not go unavenged!” wrote one person, while another said, “It’s gonna be weird with Theresa Randle not in this movie… But Tasha Smith is a good replacement.”
It's gonna be weird with Theresa Randle not in this movie…
— Pix.E’s Papi 🅴 (@iAmKingNaj_) May 30, 2024
But Tasha Smith is a good replacement. https://t.co/h5pIG0mvsr
Regardless of fans’ mixed feelings, Tasha is excited about working with her two longtime friends. During a radio interview with Atlanta radio station V-103, she began by revealing that she previously worked on the set of “Martin” as Tisha Campbell’s assistant.
But she had to have a conversation with her on-screen husband about the chemistry between their characters.
“So when we kissed I said to Martin, ‘What kind of kiss do you want to do?’ ‘Cause I didn’t want him to be like, ‘you stuck your tongue down my throat!’ I said, ‘Do you want tongue? Do you want no tongue?’ I’m like how would you like to kiss?”
She continued, “We married dammit, we kissed kissed.”
Shutting down rumors she was “given” the role for being friends with Will and Martin, she explained that she auditioned for Theresa’s role. She said she wanted them to decide if she was fit for the role.
“Some people think that we’re in a certain place in our careers where we don’t audition still, but I did,” said Tasha.
She said “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” is her “biggest film” to date “because it’s worldwide.” She has also starred in other Tyler Perry projects such as “Why Did I Get Married Too?” “Daddy’s Little Girls,” “For Better or For Worse,” and series like “Empire,” “Boston Common,” and most recently Netflix’s “Survival of the Thickest.”
“Bad Boys: Ride of Die” hits theaters everywhere on June 7.
