Will Smith, one of the most established actors in Hollywood, has given a number of standout acting performances. He has, however, once admitted that he believed he could easily outperform Tom Cruise, another well-known name in Hollywood.
The 54-year-old American actor-rapper last made an appearance in the action-drama, Emancipation (2022), and Bad Boys for Life (2020). The latter was the third entry in the Bad Boys franchise and the follow-up to 2003’s Bad Boys II. In the movie, which was helmed by Adil & Bilall, Smith and Martin Lawrence reprised their leading parts.
Speaking of this 2020 action comedy film, the King Richard actor once revealed that he made the decision to perform his own stunts and felt pretty confident about it.
Moreover, he even continued to claim that he believed he was much “better” than action star, Tom Cruise.
Well, did we mention, it did not take him more than two stunts to realize he could not compete with the Top Gun: Maverick star.
Will Smith Believed He ‘Is Better Than Tom Cruise’
Hollywood’s glittering world is full of friendly rivalries between A-list stars. While they typically keep their competitive nature hidden, occasionally amusing events come to light. One such hilarious incident involved Will Smith, a charismatic actor and rapper, who jokingly boasted that he was better than The Outsiders star.
Hollywood A-lister, Tom Cruise, 61, is renowned for performing risky stunts in his films in addition to giving blockbuster acting performances. The actor has accomplished everything, from scaling the world’s tallest building to hanging from a plane.
Smith, 54, gained the confidence to replicate Cruise’s stunts strategy because the latter is still going strong and performing his own stunts at the age of 61. Thus, he decided to pull his own stunts in Bad Boys for Life.
However, the actor soon discovered doubting himself when his long-awaited 2020 film was being filmed. During his appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, he shared that the film had a “couple of the action sequences.”
The Men in Black star further added that he had no doubts about his ability to pull those stunts.
“I’m trying to hang on. There were a couple of the action sequences that I was like ‘oooh.’ I started and I told myself I was doing all of my stunts. I was doing — you know, Tom Cruise was just hanging on the side of an airplane at 50. I was like ‘Man, I’m better than Tom Cruise!'”
Will Smith Soon Received A Dose Of Reality
Will Smith thought he could pull off every stunt as effortlessly as Tom Cruise, but just two stunts in, he knew that was not the case. As a result, he soon came to the realization that he was not better than the Top Gun star.
“And I did like two stunts, and I was like, ‘I’m not better than Tom Cruise!’”
Well, the Emancipation actor and Martin Lawrence, who returned to the franchise after a significant break, used Bad Boys for Life as a massive comeback. Since Michael Bay directed the first film, which gave Smith and Lawrence their big-screen debuts, a lot has changed.
However, it is safe to say that Smith’s electrifying performance in Bad Boys was what ultimately sealed the deal and gave him that prominence he didn’t receive from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Bad Boys for Life earned $426.5 million worldwide with generally positive reviews from critics. Additionally, it was the fourth-highest-grossing movie of 2020 and the highest-grossing film in the franchise.
Moreover, earlier this year, Smith and Lawrence announced the next Bad Boys movie and are scheduled to return in their respective roles in the action-comedy film series’ fourth installment.
Bad Boys for Life is streaming on DIRECTV.
