Will Smith Shouted Out Decades Of Friendship With Bad Boys 4 Co-Star Martin Lawrence On His Birthday

Hollywood is filled with notable bromances, including those of Ben Affleck & Matt Damon, Jason Momoa & Lenny Kravitz and Sir Patrick Stewart & Sir Ian McKellan. Another sweet celebrity bond, of course, is the one that of Bad Boys 4 co-stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. The two have excellent chemistry on screen, but one could argue that they’re exchanges off camera are even more entertaining. Smith further exemplified their brotherly love when he reflected on their decades-long friendship in a sweet birthday shout-out for Lawrence.

Martin Lawrence turned 58 on Sunday, and he received copious amounts of love from his fans. Amid production on Bad Boys 4, Will Smith also took a moment to pay tribute to his friend and longtime scene partner using an Instagram post. The Oscar winner uploaded a sweet video that features various exchanges between him and Lawrence. Within the compilation are behind-the-scenes bloopers from their work on the action franchise and moments they’ve had while doing press. Check out the funny video for yourself:

There’s no better way to celebrate a birthday than by sharing some wonderful memories. I’d say that this clip perfectly encapsulates the relationship between the two men, at least what we’ve seen of it over the years, of course. They love to playfully rib each other from time to time but, of course, at the end of the day, it’s all in good fun. Will Smith actually penned a tribute to his pal a few years ago (and it’ll give you all the feels). 

In addition to that great video, it’s just been great to see so many people send their well wishes to Martin Lawrence on his special day. The social media savvy comedian took notice of all the kind words and responded with a post of his own, as he also did on his 57th b-day. You can see the latest message below:

58 really does look good on him, as he appears to be smiling, styling and profiling. This past year has been particularly special for him, as he reunited with his Martin co-stars and starte work on the aforementioned Bad Boys 4. On top of that, he’s set to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this coming Thursday, April 20. Everything appears to be going well for the Big Momma’s House star and, quite frankly, you love to see it. 

As for his and Will Smith’s latest collaboration, Bad Boys 4 was officially confirmed this past January, with the Fresh Prince icon sharing the news in another Instagram video. That was exciting enough on its own but, just a few weeks later, it was revealed that Smith and Martin Lawrence had already begun filming. Plot details have yet to be revealed, though we do know For Life alum Vanessa Hudgens is returning and that Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah are back as the directors. Eric Dane has also apparently been cast as the main villain. 

Since filming only just started this month, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence still have a sizable amount of work ahead as do their colleagues. I’d wager that the cast and crew were still able to carve out some time to commemorate Lawrence’s birthday, though. Let’s wish the star a healthy and productive 58th year, as we look forward to him and Smith bringing their all to the highly anticipated action flick. 

Bad Boys fans can stream the first two movies using a Netflix subscription, while the third is available to Hulu subscription holders.

Erik Swann
Senior Content Producer

Erik Swann is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend. He began working with the publication in 2020 when he was hired as Weekend Editor. Today, he continues to write, edit and handle social media responsibilities over the weekend. On weekdays, he also writes TV and movie-related news and helps out with editing and social media as needed. He graduated from the University of Maryland, where he received a degree in Broadcast Journalism. After shifting into multi-platform journalism, he started working as a freelance writer and editor before joining CB. Covers superheroes, sci-fi, comedy, and almost anything else in film and TV. He eats more pizza than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.