‘Bad Boys’ Turns 30: Dennis McDonald Talks Viral Fight Scene, Will & Martin’s Advice, and Giving Back

Pho­to / Footage cour­tesy of Colum­bia Pic­tures (Sony Pic­tures Enter­tain­ment)

LOS ANGELES — The Bad Boys fran­chise is cel­e­brat­ing 30 years since its explo­sive debut on April 7, 1995. What began as a bud­dy-cop film star­ring Will Smith and Mar­tin Lawrence has evolved into a cul­tur­al sta­ple, known for its high-octane action, comedic chem­istry, and unfor­get­table char­ac­ters.

Among those char­ac­ters is Reg­gie, first intro­duced in Bad Boys II as a ner­vous teen meet­ing his girlfriend’s father. Played by actor Den­nis McDon­ald, Reg­gie returned in Bad Boys 4 with a sur­pris­ing twist — a show-stop­ping fight scene that went viral and earned him the nick­name “Reg­gie Wick.”

The moment, filled with intense chore­og­ra­phy and unex­pect­ed grit, trans­formed McDonald’s char­ac­ter into an unlike­ly action hero, res­onat­ing with long­time fans and new audi­ences alike.

Pop­fuzion TV host Francesca Ellana recent­ly spoke with McDon­ald about the expe­ri­ence of work­ing along­side Smith and Lawrence, and the lessons he took from being on set with two of the industry’s most icon­ic stars. McDon­ald has since used those expe­ri­ences to inspire oth­ers.

Through his week­ly series Mono­logue Mon­days, McDon­ald now men­tors aspir­ing actors, offer­ing guid­ance and per­for­mance coach­ing to help them break into the indus­try. It’s his way of giv­ing back, using the momen­tum from his role to uplift oth­ers on their jour­ney.

As the Bad Boys fran­chise cel­e­brates three decades of cin­e­mat­ic impact, sto­ries like McDonald’s reflect the endur­ing pow­er of the series—not only to enter­tain, but to launch and trans­form careers.

Catch the full inter­view with Den­nis McDon­ald on Pop­fuzion TV.