BAD BOYS FOR LIFE Exclusive Interview With Breakout Star Jacob Scipio

Ahead of the 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD launch for Sony Pictures' most recent blockbuster, Bad Boys for Life, we were recently granted an exclusive opportunity to get on the phone with the film's breakout star, Jacob Scipio, who played the threequel's main villain Armando Aretas. 

The long-awaited follow-up saw the return of stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence as Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett, respectively, and is currently the highest-grossing movie of the year. To date, it has taken in over $419.1 million on an estimated $90 million production budget, which was more than enough ammo to give Sony the confidence to greenlight a fourth installment. 

In our extended chat, he detailed his extremely fortunate casting process, his love for the franchise, working with the legendary Will Smith, what he learned from his iconic co-stars, his interest in superhero movies, and he even briefly touched on returning for Bad Boys 4. 

ROHAN:  Were you a fan of the original films or was getting this role your first introduction to the Bad Boys universe?

JACOB SCIPIO: I was a huge fan of the films. I mean, I think I was like 1 or I don't even know if I was born when the first one came out, but I've got an older brother who had that on VHS and it was just on repeat at our house. So, I kind of grew up with the first one and the second one, I was old enough to experience it for what it was, which was kind of this incredible, action-packed, peak Michael Bay film, which was just so much fun to watch, the ultimate popcorn flick.

So yeah, coming into it, I hadn't even heard that they were making a third one, but when I did, I got really excited. So, to get the script and go through the whole auditioning process and then, actually get the role and get to be involved making the film and to be the main villain, it was a real roller coaster ride that I got to play in this amazing universe.

ROHAN:  Yeah, you play this instantly iconic role, arguably the most threatening villain these guys have ever faced, and outside of the traditional bad guy qualities, your character is also very adept at hand-to-hand combat, riding high-speed motorcycles and more. Did you have any prior fight training or were most of the stunts stuff you learned on the job?

JACOB SCIPIO: I’d just come off a war movie, called The Outpost, which we shot for about three months and is a true story about the bloodiest battle in Afghanistan. There was a lot of gun training, a lot of extensive physical work involved and so, I just pretty much jumped straight off the back of that into this. I’d been through gun training, so I was already pretty adept at that, but in terms of the fight training and everything, I’ve done boxing and jiu-jitsu and stuff like that.

Boxing is a huge part of my family life. My great granddad was on the first televised boxing match in history - Archie Sexton, he found 222 fights. His eye got thumbed out, so he died with a glass eye and had like half a kidney. - So, yeah, boxing definitely was in the family. To be able to throw down with Will Smith was definitely a fun experience.

I also give big props to the stunt guys who trained me up and helped me every step of the way with the choreography and all the physical work of the fight sequences. Just perfection every time, they really make us look good, man.

ROHAN:  Oh yeah, you did great and you really got to waste Will Smith a few times in the film, which is rare that you get to see such a big star let himself get absolutely wrecked by the new guy on the block.

JACOB SCIPIO: *laughs* Yeah, man, it was definitely a lot of fun.

ROHAN:  So, when you auditioned or, I guess when you landed the role, were you already aware that you would be playing Lowery’s son? Or, did they try to keep that big twists as close to the chest as possible until the day you actually had to shoot those scenes?

JACOB SCIPIO: I mean, during the whole kind of casting process, I had no idea.

I was in L.A., I had just finished doing The Outpost, but I didn't have a ton of money, so I could only be there for a little amount of time. I went for one audition and I heard that they liked me and I got a callback, but I was due to head home. I'd run out of money and my flight was coming up, so I told them “Yes, sure, of course, I’d love to do the recall, but I’m leaving tomorrow. So, my manager was saying “Okay, so you’re going to go in tomorrow.” and I was like “Okay.” It was like a Sunday or something, at Jerry Bruckheimer’s office, so I came with all my suitcases packed and my girlfriend and I just sorta left her there in the lobby with our bags and I did my recall, which was with the directors, the casting directors, Jerry Bruckheimer and a few of the producers.

I didn’t know anything about the twist or anything about the plot of the film. I was given these two kind of generic scenes, which I had to start to build the character from and that was that. I did the casting and left and just sort of hung around, I kinda refused to leave the office because I really wanted to make my mark, so I was just walking back around the office after I’d finished and I turned a corner and someone spotted me and said, “Jacob!,” so I turned and it was two of the producers sitting in their office, so I go in there and end up talking to them for like 45 minutes and I must’ve done something right because after 45 minutes, they were like “We should get him in the room with Will.,” and at this point, I’m thinking that there’s only one Will.

It was crazy. I wasn’t supposed to meet him, I wasn’t even supposed to be there, but the more we’re talking, they’re just like “We should get him in the room with Will, we should get him in the room with Will… Yeah, he does kind of look like him” The more they were talking about it, the more I started to realize that “Oh shit, I might be Will Smith’s son in this,” so I hadn’t seen any scenes or script or anything like that, but I was slowly figuring it out. So, I get into the room and there’s Will, there he is, just standing there like a true icon, a hero. He gives me a big hug and he’s like “Hey, what’s up man, how you doing man?” and we go through this chemistry read on camera, in front of maybe twenty people and it was just the most organic kind of experience ever. He’s just so kind and welcoming. It was just awesome, man.

I was kind of nervous to be honest, I remember during that first meeting, telling him that my great granddad was a boxer, super iconic, and all that stuff and he was like “Oh cool, my dad was an electrician.,” and I was like “Well, he must’ve had a really sparky personality.,” and then, everybody’s laughing and we both look at each other at the same time and say “I’ll be here all week.” Then, the room goes silent and Will goes, “Man, if that ain’t a moment, I don’t know what is.” So, after that, I felt like I’d done everything I could to make my mark and I still made my flight home that day. Got in an Uber and made our flight.

ROHAN:  On this film alone, you got to work with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence and with Kate del Castillo, who plays your mother. What was your experience working with these acting legends and is there anything specific you learned from them that you hope to take with you to future projects?

JACOB SCIPIO: Every single day working with those icons was a learning experience. First thing I noticed was their generosity, not just with the gifts, we were all showered with gifts from Will and Martin. Every other day, when I’d go to the trainer, there’d be a new gift there, but it wasn’t just the material things.

It was the generosity they had with their time, like true movie stars, true superstars, they are the kindest, most generous people. There was no ego, there was nothing like that. I mean I wasn’t expecting that either, but there was just none of that at all. The vibe on set was so incredible and that was very much due to Will and Martin. I think it trickles down from the top. They were just so chill and so funny. It was, at times, a very intense film, but also a very funny film, so that’s sort of my memory from set, just how much fun we had together.

So, yeah, learning from Will and Martin and even, Kate. She's a [frick]ing amazing woman, she’s so tough, she's like hard as nails. We were shooting the finale and the rain machine is on and she’s in this tiny little dress, the wind is blowing. It's freezing and she has to do the scene where she's falling off the balcony. She has to do it like 10 times and she’s falling onto this mat, which had a huge puddle in it. It was so cold and I was just thinking, “Oh my God, how is she doing this?,” but she just got on with it and on top of that, every morning, Kate would have a boxing session, like a full-on gym training session before coming into shooting a twelve hour day. She’s so committed. All of them are, they are so committed and so professional. That was a big, big lesson that I learned from those guys. That was the real gold dust.

ROHAN:  There’s also an alternate ending for the film on the Blu-ray, where everything plays out a little differently and your character doesn’t get that hero moment where he helps save Martin Lawrence’s character. Do you remember which ending you shot first? Or was the alternate ending meant to be the original before you guys came back and redid it?

JACOB SCIPIO: I can't remember which one we actually shot first. I do remember coming back for reshoots months later and we shot another ending, but I can’t remember which one that was, but I was in the middle of shooting Without Remorse, which is this Tom Clancy adaptation starring Michael B. Jordan, where I play Hatchet, who is one of the Rainbow Six members. The movie’s about the origin of the Rainbow Six team, so I was in Berlin shooting that, and then, we were doing nights.

So, I was shooting all week, all night, I finished on Friday and I was due back in on Monday and then, I get a call from my agent and they're like, “Yeah, they need you for the reshoots. You're going to go this weekend to Atlanta, so I flew out Friday night, shot Saturday, shot Sunday and flew back to Germany. Went straight into nights on Monday and then, I was working again the whole next week and then, they were like “Yeah, we need to get more footage, so we're gonna fly you out to Miami.” I was like, “Okay,” so then, the next week, I went to Miami for the weekend and shot some more scenes, then went back to finish Without Remorse. It was again a bit of a roller coaster ride, but I was happy that we got everything that we needed. I’d do anything for Bad Boys, for Adil and Bilall, the directors, because they really looked after me and gave me a shot and I want to reciprocate that and look after them.

ROHAN:  I think it’s already out there that Bad Boys 4 is in active development and based on the mid-credits stinger, it looks like you’ll once again have a big role. Have you heard anything about your character’s arc yet because Armando does have quite a lot to atone for and it seems like he may get to have a redemption arc of sorts?

JACOB SCIPIO: Yeah, yeah, Armando has a big debt to pay off. It was just so much fun playing that character, I can't tell you, man, I got into some dark places with it, but also just the physical aspect of it. All the stunts and fight scenes, which I had a ball with. So, to be involved with another Bad Boys film, to work in this franchise again, I’ll do it in a heartbeat because I just had so much fun on the first one. People seemed to really enjoy themselves when they saw this last one and I just want to give them some more of that.

In terms of my character arc, I don’t know. I don’t know anything, I haven’t read anything, I don’t have any news to give you on that one, I just know that we’ve only just scratched the surface with Armando here and there’s so much potential as to where we could go with him. He could go anywhere in this universe and that’s what’s so interesting about him. He’s dynamic and unpredictable.

ROHAN:  In this one, obviously you have to play it straight because Armando is all business and he has a mission, but in the next one, are you looking forward to maybe getting a chance to test out some of your comedy chops opposite Will and Martin and the AMMO team.

JACOB SCIPIO: I mean, if that’s what it calls for, man, most definitely. I don’t know how I’ll stand up next to a comedic genius like Martin Lawrence, but even just being on set around him, maybe some of the gold dust sprinkled off on me. So, of course, I’ll give it a go.

ROHAN:  You’ve now proven yourself as a bona fide action star, with this, of course, being your big coming out party, but have you thought about a superhero/comic book movie role yet? I know there’s a lot of Marvel and DC stuff coming up, has anything piqued your interest yet or have you gotten any offers?

JACOB SCIPIO: Oh yeah, 100%, I’d do it man. What’s happening with superhero movies is unreal. It’s so great for cinema. People are going to the cinema to watch these movies and as an avid cinema goer myself - going to go back when things open up again safely of course - I love the production value that goes into it. The characters, the stunts, the storyline, the comedy.

I think superhero movies are true, amazing feats of entertainment. Pure popcorn cinema. So, to be involved with a Marvel or a DC, of course I would have to be directed through it, but, you know, I’d love to read some scripts for it. Yeah, I would love to be involved with a superhero franchise.

ROHAN:  Yeah, they are really pushing the envelope now, more than ever, with superhero movies, bending genres and subverting expectations, which has to be limitless fun for an actor. Is there a superhero role out there that you’ve had your eye on, anyone you might consider your favorite superhero?

JACOB SCIPIO: I mean, every kid wants to be Batman. Every kid grows up wanting to be Batman or I guess Iron Man now. I grew up watching Transformers, with my dad, the Saturday morning cartoons. Wolverine was another huge one for me, I was a huge fan of him, he’s so iconic. I’ve had a couple scripts sent to me so far, set in those kind of worlds, and there are definitely some interesting roles out there for me and it’s just about making the right choice.

ROHAN:  I saw that you’ve recently started your own production company and you’re writing and developing your own shorts. Could you maybe speak on what you’re able to get out of writing, creatively, versus acting? Does your whole approach change when you’re writing something for yourself or do you tackle the challenge in a similar manner as you do a new role?

JACOB SCIPIO: The thing is, when you're acting in a role, you only have to concentrate on your role and everybody else concentrates on theirs. When you’re writing a screenplay, you have to know all the characters, inside out. So, that's obviously the main difference between acting and writing. It takes a lot of time and a lot of effort and it also takes ability as well.

When I’m working on my scripts, my shorts and my features, I'm very lucky that I have a very creative friendship group and my brothers as well, who are both super creative, they’re in the industry as well, and my mom even. So, I can bounce ideas off a lot of people in my vicinity, which I’m very blessed to be able to do.

I love writing, I love creating, I love exploring new worlds, from sci-fis to comedies to actions to westerns. I think that’s the beauty with writing in general, you can transport yourself to anywhere.

 

The Bad Boys Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) are back together for one last ride in the highly anticipated Bad Boys for Life.