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Michael Bay: Sony ‘Had No Faith’ in ‘Bad Boys,’ Claimed ‘Two Black Actors Don’t Sell Overseas’

Michael Bay said Sony had no faith in "Bad Boys" and claimed "two black actors don't sell overseas."

Michael Bay ‘s “ Bad Boys ” movies are one of his signature action franchises, but the director said the studio did not have faith in the project because of a misguided belief that Black actors don’t attract international audiences. Bay said it was Sony’s resistance to giving him greater resources on the film that led him to come up with the movie’s most iconic shot, a 360-degree spin around Smith and Lawrence’s characters. “Independence Day” director Roland Emmerich revealed in July 2021 the studio originally rejected Smith for the lead role over claims that casting a Black actor would kill the foreign box office.

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