Actors Will Smith & Martin Lawrence, center, take a photo with MLB Umpires Manny Gonzalez, far right, and Todd Tichenor, far left, after throwing the first pitch before the first inning of an MLB game against the Tampa Rays at LoanDepot Park on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, in Miami, Fla. The actors were promoting their new film, Miami-based Bad Boys: Ride or Die.
dvarela@miamiherald.com
Ain’t no stopping them now. The Bad Boys have officially taken over Miami.
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, the stars of “Ride or Die,” aka No. 4 in the franchise, were back in the city where all the action has been going down since 1995.
Smith, who is reprises his iconic role as wisecracking, sharp dressed cop Mike Lowery, announced his arrival Wednesday to his 68 million Instagram followers with a video, our famed skyline in the background.
“Miami, we’re home!” said his caption.
The guys were going practically nonstop, on the last leg of a press tour that took them to eight cities all over the world in two weeks, starting in Dubai.
In another clip, which shows a montage of Smith in character, all suited up, looking fine, the Oscar winner admitted, “There’s very few things in this world that are as good as being Mike Lowery in Miami.”
Lawrence (aka Marcus Burnett) also posted a few highlights of their visit, which included the guys throwing out the first pitch at the Marlins vs. Rays game Wednesday night at loanDepot park.
Later that night, they hit the Silverspot Cinema downtown for the blue carpet premiere with such celeb attendees as DJ Khaled, Fat Joe and LeLe Pons. An afterparty at a Brickell hot spot apparently kept them out past their bedtime.
On Thursday, the Hollywood vets sat down for a “fireside chat” with Enrique Santos of iHeartRadio at the Perez Art Museum. The host handed them a thimble of Cuban coffee, for which they were both grateful.
“Necesito cafe,” Smith said, using his not too shabby Spanish.
“I’m 59,” cracked Lawrence. “I deserve this.”
In all seriousness, for all their hard work, the actors were given a bunch of gifts, including Heat jerseys with their characters’ names, from NBA legend Alonzo Mourning.
At the event, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava thanked the stars for their service and proclaimed Friday, when it hits theaters, “Bad Boys Day.”
The flick, which follows the duo on the run after trying to clear their late boss’ name, may be the most meaningful because of all the shared history.
“We grew up in Miami, and Miami grew up with us,” Smith said. “We feel like it’s like the third Bad Boy. The energy, the flavor, the food, the music, the melting pot… It’s absolutely a character in this movie.”
This story was originally published June 6, 2024, 4:18 PM.
