Will Smith is all set for the next part of his beloved franchise ‘Bad Boys‘, but more than himself, the actor is trying to put his co-star Vanessa Hudgens into focus. Smith has nothing but sweet words and encouragement for his ‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die‘ co-star who managed to pull off the filming despite being pregnant.
While the production of the fourth installment of the action-comedy franchise kicked off in March 2023, it suffered after hitting a speed bump during the SAG-AFTRA actors’ strike. The strike concluded after 118 days from July to November 2023, and the film commenced production. Hudgens, however, was pregnant by then. But she did not let that come in the way of filming and Will Smith is clearly in awe of her for that. Here’s what he said.
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Will Smith Recalls Vanessa Hudgens’ Dedication To Filming For ‘Bad Boys: Ride Or Die’ Despite Pregnancy
Vanessa Hudgens grabbed headlines when she flaunted her baby bump at the 2024 Oscars in March. The SAG-AFTRA strike put many productions on hold, one of which was the filming of ‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die‘. As the production resumed after the strike, Hudgens’ pregnancy became a challenge on set.
Her co-star Will Smith told Entertainment Tonight all about how tactfully the actress managed to tackle the problem and carry on with the filming without her pregnancy becoming an issue. “So the strike happened [and] when she came back and we had to finish the movie, it was really [about] trying to figure out how to shoot around [the bump],” the ‘Men in Black’ star said.
Smith described Hudgens, who plays weapons expert Kelly in the franchise, as “a hard worker,” adding that he tried to cheer her up with some encouragement when stunts became a challenge because of her pregnancy.
“I was like, ‘No, don’t worry. You’ll always be able to tell your child that they were in this scene with you,'” Smith said during the interview.
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Will Smith also opened up about how the team of ‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die‘ had to get creative with their filming techniques to work around Vanessa Hudgens’ pregnancy. While Hudgens remained undeterred with her stunts, Smith made sure to let her know how admirable her dedication was.
Hudgens is pregnant with her first child with her husband Cole Tucker, the baseball player she got married to in December 2023. The ‘High School Musical‘ alum revealed her pregnancy during the Oscars this year. However, she was notably absent from Coachella for the second year in a row.
Speaking to Bustle about her reasons for the same, the actress said, “The walking is aggressive. It’s a lot of walking.” While the actress is currently basking in the glory of her pregnancy coupled with her stellar performance in the upcoming film, fans can watch ‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die‘ on June 7 when it is set to hit the theatres.
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