"I Made Bad Choices": The Bad Boys' Casting Regret That Led To Will Smith

Summary Arsenio Hall regrets turning down playing Mike in Bad Boys, a role that went to Will Smith instead, leading to his successful career.

Before Will Smith was cast, Bad Boys producers considered Dana Carvey and Jon Lovitz, ultimately choosing two Black comedians for the roles.

Arsenio Hall's portrayal of Mike Lowrey would have been more comedic than Will Smith's action-packed performance in Bad Boys.

Will Smith is the central star of the Bad Boys franchise, but a different actor almost played Mike Lowrey instead, and they still regret passing on the role. Michael Bay launched the Bad Boys movie franchise in 1995 with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence headlining. The duo have returned for three sequels, including Bad Boys: Ride or Die, with each further cementing how perfectly they fit these roles. It seems impossible to imagine anyone else playing Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett, but they were far from the first casting options.

Prior to its 1995 release and the casting of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, Bad Boys went through various life cycles that could have completely reimagined the picture. For example, the producers originally imagined the buddy cop movie as a project for Dana Carvey and Jon Lovitz. It was only after that version of the movie never came to be that casting shifted to find two Black comedians who could play Mike and Marcus. While Will Smith and Martin Lawrence ultimately were the duo to make Bad Boys, another actor regrettably turned down the role of Mike.

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Arsenio Hall Turned Down Playing Mike In Bad Boys

His Decision Led To Will Smith Being Cast

Before producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Michael Bay cast Will Smith to play Mike, Bad Boys strongly considered Arsenio Hall for the role. The stand-up comedian, talk show host, and Coming to America star confirmed his near-involvement in the movie during a 2013 interview with THR. He revealed that at one point the movie was shaping up to be a buddy-cop film with Arsenio Hall as Mike and Martin Lawrence as Marcus. However, Hall confirmed that he turned down the movie when recounting that "sometimes I made bad choices" in his pursuits of acting more.

Although there is a certain amount of regret that Arsenio Hall has for turning down Bad Boys, the comedian eventually became comfortable with the decision. He noted that it "wasn't a bad decision because I'm happy with my life." Playing Mike in Bad Boys could have been a major turning point in Arsenio Hall's career. He never truly broke out as an actor, even though he's continued to appear in different movies and TV shows since. The good news is that he has come to accept his decision was for the best after having some level of regret.

Arsenio Hall's Mike Would've Been Very Different From Will Smith's

Bad Boys Could Have Been More Comedic

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It is safe to say that Bad Boys' portrayal of Mike Lowrey would have been very different if Arsenio Hall had been in the role instead of Will Smith. Although both were best known for their comedic abilities at the time, Smith managed to prove his ability as a legitimate action star and leading man through his performance. He brought a natural charisma, comedic timing, and physicality to Mike. Arsenio Hall could have pulled off the charisma and comedy aspects of Mike, but the physical action is not necessarily where he could shine.

That reality might have meant a completely different version of Bad Boys would have happened if Arsenio Hall had been cast. Hall and Lawrence as the lead duo might have encouraged the movie to lean further into the comedic abilities of both rather than the action. This would not have fit Michael Bay's strengths, potentially resulting in a worse final product or the director walking away from the project altogether. There is a world where Bad Boys is still successful with Arsenio Hall playing Mike, but there's no doubt he would've played the role differently than Will Smith.

Source: THR