Martin Lawrence Has Matured, But He's Still Lit AF

The comedy icon talks ‘Bad Boys For Life’ and his love for stand-up. HYPEBEAST Features - Go in-depth and learn more about the culture. [HYPEBEAST]( [Features]( January 17, 2020 [Martin Lawrence Has Matured, But He's Still Lit AF]( The comedy icon talks ‘Bad Boys For Life’ and his love for stand-up. Nurphoto / Contributor / Getty Images In the 1990s, Martin Lawrence was the undisputed king of comedy. Like Eddie Murphy before him, he parlayed a successful stand-up career into spots in films such as Do The Right Thing, House Party, and even Boomerang; which stars Murphy and Martin’s future television co-star Tisha Cambell. But it was TV that cemented his legacy, thanks to Lawrence’s titular series Martin, which ran from 1992 to 1997 and has remained one of the most iconic television shows of the era. Then, in ‘95, he went on to star in the first installment of the Bad Boys trilogy. It was Martin himself who suggested Will Smith as his co-lead, who was on his own influential sitcom at the time Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The film served as something of a testing ground for Martin as his first starring role, but the Michael Bay-directed flick went on to gross $141.4 million USD on a $19 million USD budget, propelling him further into superstardom. Martin followed that up with his directorial debut A Thin Line Between Love and Hate in 1996, which he also wrote and starred in, garnering $30 million USD at the box office against an $8 million USD budget. Now, Will and Martin have reunited for the third and final installment of the franchise. Although it’s been 10 years since Martin has starred in a feature film, the two are finally coming together for Bad Boys for Life — 17 years after Bad Boys II. However, the gap in time may be to the film’s benefit, given the resurgence of older franchises in Hollywood today. The film had been in demand for years, with production plans continuously falling apart. As the years progressed, however, the franchise has gone on to garner a cult status among action movie fans. And as of publication, Bad Boys for Life currently sits fresh at 76% on Rotten Tomatoes. Will and Martin have reprised their role as Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett. But much like the actors themselves, the characters are in very different places since we last saw them in in 2003’s Bad Boys II. HYPEBEAST caught up with Martin Lawrence to talk about Bad Boys for Life, his future endeavors, and of course, his iconic television series Martin. Ben Rothstein / Columbia Pictures Just having to do this once again with Will Smith, one of the best in the business, one of my best partners to work with. I just enjoy it. HYPEBEAST: What’s it like coming back to the franchise with brand new directors? Martin Lawrence: Oh it is great. Just having to do this once again with Will Smith, one of the best in the business, one of my best partners to work with. I just enjoy it. Comparatively speaking, what are the biggest changes from the first Bad Boys to this third installment? I think the story. This story might be the best story out of all three, and we just getting older and things like that. But, I think it’s the story. As this is your first starring role in almost a decade, how did you prepare for the film? Well, how did I prepare? I ate a lot of good food, because I tell everybody I couldn’t work out because I had hurt my back. I was on tour, and I did this New Year’s Eve show. And I was going up the steps and I slipped and I hurt my back. I couldn’t work out before the film, and we had to start filming in a week, so the only thing I could do was eat. I had pudding, pizza, stuff like that. [READ THE FULL ARTICLE ON HYPEBEAST →]( [banner](   [More HYPEBEAST Features]( [[8 Drops You Don't Want to Miss This Week] [FASHION]( [8 Drops You Don't Want to Miss This Week]( [[jeffstaple Teams up With Overwatch League to Create 20 Unique Esports Kits for Players] [FASHION]( [jeffstaple Teams up With Overwatch League to Create 20 Unique Esports Kits for Players]( [Get The App Free on iOS and Android]( Follow --------------------------------------------------------------- 2019 HYPEBEAST Limited. All Rights Reserved [Manage Subscriptions]( You are receiving this email because you have subscribed to HYPEBEAST's marketing emails. You can unsubscribe from us any time by clicking [here](. It may take 48 hours to complete the unsubscribe process. Contact subscription@hypebeast.com for assistance on any enquiries. Our Mailing Address: HYPEBEAST, 10F, KC 100, 100 Kwai Cheong Road, Kwai Chung, Hong Kong