Will Smith Reveals How “Bad Boys 4” Had to 'Shoot Around' Pregnant Vanessa Hudgens' Baby Bump
Smith recalled that his words of encouragement to the actress when she struggled on set were, "You'll always be able to tell your child that they were in this scene"
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Will Smith and Vanessa HudgensWill Smith had sweet words of encouragement for his Bad Boys: Ride or Die costar Vanessa Hudgens when filming got complicated amid her pregnancy.
Filming on the fourth installment of the action-comedy franchise began in March 2023, but was stalled during the SAG-AFTRA actors' strike, which lasted 118 days from July to November 2023.
Hudgens, 35, debuted her baby bump at the 2024 Oscars in March, and Smith, 55, told Entertainment Tonight that when filming resumed on Ride or Die after the strike, her baby bump presented a bit of a challenge.
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Will Smith attends the photo call for Sony's 'Bad Boys: Ride or Die' on May 17, 2024The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!
"So the strike happened [and] when she came back and we had to finish the movie, it was really [about] trying to figure out how to shoot around [the bump]," the Men in Black star said.
Smith praised the High School Musical alum, who plays weapons expert Kelly in the franchise, as "a hard worker."
Related: Everything to Know About Bad Boys 4
He said he offered Hudgens words of encouragement when stunts proved to be a challenge because of her pregnancy.
"I was like, 'No, don't worry. You'll always be able to tell your child that they were in this scene with you,' " Smith told ET.
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Hudgens is expecting her first child with her husband, baseball player Cole Tucker, whom she married in December 2023.
The Princess Switch star recently told Bustle why she decided to skip Coachella for the second year in a row.
"The walking is aggressive. It's a lot of walking," the mom-to-be admitted.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die hits theaters June 7.
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