Michael Bay isn’t here for your questions about Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars. Bay directed Smith in two of his signature action movies, “Bad Boys” and “Bad Boys II.” Asked by Yahoo to weigh in on the slap, Bay responded, “I don’t really care.”
“I wasn’t watching. I saw it. First of all, it’s wrong to begin with,” Bay said. “I don’t really care. Hollywood gets very self-absorbed. There are babies getting blown up in the Ukraine right now. We should be talking about that. I really don’t care.”
Bay only had this to add about the incident at the Oscars: “I’ve worked with him. He’s not that guy. I’ve never seen him lose his cool like that. I thought it was a set up because I saw his smirk. I’ve been on set when Will has screwed with people and joked with people. It was a slap. Not a punch. He’s very good at fighting, he’s trained at that. It’s wrong to begin with. Then I knew the yell… he was mad.”
Smith and Bay’s “Bad Boys” movies grossed over $400 million worldwide, unadjusted for inflation. Smith returned to the franchise in 2020 with the third entry, “Bad Boys for Life.” That film was directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, although Bay appeared in the movie in a cameo role. The third film grossed $426 million worldwide.
Since the 2022 Oscars, Smith has both apologized to Chris Rock and has resigned from the Academy. In a statement announcing his resignation, Smith wrote, “I betrayed the trust of the Academy. I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work. I am heartbroken.”
Bay was asked about the slap while promoting his new action movie “Ambulance,” starring Jake Gyllenhaal. The movie opens in theaters nationwide April 8 from Universal Pictures.
Here’s Bad Boys director Michael Bay on the Will Smith slap:
“I don’t really care… There are babies getting blown up in Ukraine right now. We should be talking about that.” pic.twitter.com/OZgKipQQ2L
— Kevin Polowy (@djkevlar) April 4, 2022