Since "Bad Boys", former stand-up comic Martin Lawrence has become one of the world's most bankable film stars, now reportedly commanding fees of $20m per picture. His latest is comedy-action movie "National Security".
"National Security" features a lot of impressive car crashes and stunts. Did you do any of them yourself?
Yeah, most of 'em. [Laughs] No, that's what the stuntmen are for.
What was it like working with Steve Zahn?
Steve is a very talented man. He got into the character and was so believable as a cop. He gave me a lot to play off. My character is cocky and always challenging authority. The contrast was awesome.
Did you have any qualms about taking the subject of police brutality and playing it for laughs?
First and foremost, I'm a comedian. I'm an actor. And I think the director, Dennis Dugan, dealt with the sensitivity of the subject well. The race thing only comes into play because he's a white cop, I'm a black guy. We were able to tap into people's emotions in that many things can be misunderstood.
As a comic do you go deliberately for shock value and then work it through in a humorous manner?
No. My comedic instinct is to go for what's funny. I don't just go out to shock people. If it's funny and then happens to shock people, then hey, all's well and good. But comedy always comes first.
Is it difficult taking your stand up comedy instincts and putting it into the discipline of film?
Yeah, but that's the beauty of being - hopefully! - well rounded. You don't just learn one perspective of the game, you learn the whole game. Humour is universal. Whatever capacity you're presenting humour in, you have to understand the timing, the setting and the tone.
You're reuniting this summer with Will Smith, Michael Bay, and Jerry Bruckheimer for "Bad Boys II", the sequel to 1995's "Bad Boys". Why the delay?
Everybody's gone off, done their own thing, and had their own success. It just took eight years to get us all together again! Plus the script wasn't quite right, there were a lot of different drafts. We were supposed to shoot in London at one point, but that fell through.
A lot of comics and comic actors go into straight drama. Is that something you'd like to do?
I would love to. If it's the right dramatic role and I can get into it and make it believable, I'm all over it. I just don't get those scripts!
