Bad Boys 4 actor Dennis McDonald has revealed that a significant moment for his character, Reggie, was not part of the original script. McDonald, who first appeared in Bad Boys II as Reggie, the young man who faced the intimidating scrutiny of Mike (Will Smith) and Marcus (Martin Lawrence) for dating Marcus’ daughter, has become a fan favorite. The memorable scene from Bad Boys II frequently resurfaces on social media, and now Reggie is back in the fourth installment of the franchise, earning newfound respect.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, McDonald expressed his excitement about Reggie’s return. “This is a blessing,” he said. “When I got the script and I found out what I was doing, I already knew that this might be something real, real big. He’s finally in the family, [Marcus and Mike] finally accepted him, he’s finally getting his due, so I’m just happy about that.”
Bad Boys: Ride or Die sees Reggie, now a Marine staff sergeant and Marcus’ son-in-law, stepping up to save the day. When the bad boys are framed and on the run, Reggie saves Marcus’ wife, daughter, and grandson from an army of men infiltrating their home. Mike and Marcus, watching helplessly via video feeds, are stunned as Reggie takes down the attackers and secures his family’s safety.
The film’s final scene, which was not in the original script, features Reggie receiving a great honor. Mike and Marcus argue over who should man the barbeque grill, but they laugh and step aside when Reggie approaches to take over. The movie ends with a close-up of Reggie’s smiling face, a moment that McDonald found overwhelming. “That was kind of crazy — I was in Miami filming, and then I flew back home, and then they called me like three or four days later to come back to Miami to shoot another scene,” he explained. “They just told me they wanted me back, so I’m thinking I had to do something over [again]. But I had lines and everything, and it was the whole end of the movie. They’re like, ‘Yeah, you end the whole movie. It ends with your face.’ And I’m like, ‘Are you serious?’ I was just overwhelmed.”
McDonald, who has embraced being called “Reggie” since his breakout role in 2003, shared his journey of preparing for the role. “I had to get on real military mode,” he said. “I went online and looked up a lot of the things that had to do with military training and stuff like that. So before I even went to military training, I was one step ahead of the curve.” He underwent three months of training to prepare for Reggie’s big moment, but shooting the scene over three days was still intense. “There were times where they would have the special effects, and the blood had got in my eye, and I’m still working through the scene,” he revealed. “I’m elbowing the guy and taking his clip out of his gun; that whole scene, I can’t even see. I’m just doing that off of just me remembering the [moves]. That was intense.”
The realism of the scene was so convincing that McDonald forgot he was on a movie set. “As we are doing it and I get tired, I go in the kitchen and try to turn the faucet on to get some water. And I’m like, ‘Oh s—, it’s fake. I forgot.’ That’s how real it looks,” he said.
Reggie’s heroics earn him the respect and gratitude of Mike and Marcus in the movie’s final scene. As the duo argue over who gets the honor of manning the grill at the family barbecue, Reggie steps up with a platter of chicken, hoping to take over the grill himself. Initially, Mike and Marcus laugh at Reggie’s assumption, but they soon remember how he methodically killed 15 highly trained soldiers to save their loved ones. They begrudgingly step aside, allowing Reggie to become the man of the grill and the family. The movie ends with a close-up of Reggie smiling, knowing he’s finally gotten the last laugh.
Reflecting on the unexpected addition of the grill sequence, McDonald said, “That wasn’t in the script at all. That was kind of crazy — I was in Miami filming, and then I flew back home, and then they called me like three or four days later to come back to Miami to shoot another scene.” He had no idea he was being brought back to film such a significant moment. “They just told me they wanted me back, so I’m thinking I had to do something over [again]. But I had lines and everything, and it was the whole end of the movie. They’re like, ‘Yeah, you end the whole movie. It ends with your face.’ And I’m like, ‘Are you serious?’ I was just overwhelmed.”
McDonald, who is “not a big smiler,” had to step out of his comfort zone to film that moment, but he is proud of how it turned out. “When I saw it all play out together, I was like, ‘Yeah, I did that!'” he said.
The actor was surprised to see how Reggie’s character was being built up to be the leading man, but he embraced the challenge. “I’m just working hard, continuing to work on my craft to be ready for that,” he said. “You never know, you might see Bad Boys 5 and see Reggie a lot more.”
McDonald also has ideas for how the franchise could continue with a new generation taking over for Smith and Lawrence. “I can see Martin and Will actually retiring and just playing the back end while they give Reggie the things to do,” he said. “Me and [Mike’s son] Armando [played by Jacob Scipio], I could see both of us getting together and handling things. That can give you eight more Bad Boys movies, we keep the torch going and Will and Martin will always be there, telling us, ‘These are the people you have to get,’ and we get insight from them.”
Bad Boys: Ride or Die is now out in UK cinemas, and fans can look forward to seeing more of Reggie in future installments.
