Bad Boys: Ride of Die shows sides of Will Smith’s main character, Detective Lieutenant Mike Lowrey, that fans of the action-comedy series have never seen before. A big reason for Mike’s evolution is his wife Christine, and the actress who played her, Melanie Liburd, attributed their “beautiful” love story to her changed personality.

Speaking to Screen Rant, Liburd talked about the dynamic between her and Smith’s characters and how Christine changed Mike for the better after he was Bad Boys film series. Liburd also appreciates how Christine and Mike’s story further deepens Mike’s fears that every time he gets close to someone he cares about, that person dies, as evidenced by the panic attacks he suffers throughout the film.

“We all grew up with this franchise and Mike was always the player. He never gets any rest. But I love that this film has so much reality. It has some grounding in real-life situations and why people don’t get close and why people do the things they do,” Liburd said. “And why Mike walked around the city for a long time and didn’t approach people because deep down he was probably afraid of getting hurt. And then he gets all these panic attacks because he thinks if he falls in love with someone, they’re going to die or something terrible is going to happen to him. But it’s so sweet. It was such a beautiful love story.”

It was such a beautiful love story.

After a chaotic love life in which Mike gave birth to a son (Armando Aretas) with the nefarious Isabel “La Bruja” Aretas, Christine becomes a much-needed source of stability in Mike’s life. The two marry at the beginning Ride or diealthough Marcus almost suffers a tragic heart attack during the wedding reception. According to Liburd, Christine means well with Mike, as she cares more about the simplicity of life and appreciates his flaws. “I think the beautiful thing is that Christine doesn’t really care about all the cars and all the posturing of Mr. Lowrey, but she fell in love with his heart. Because she met him at his lowest point. That’s what she kind of says at the beginning. It’s really nice to add a love story,” she said.

Mike and Marcus face their biggest battle yet as they attempt to prove the innocence of fallen police chief Captain Conrad Howard (Joe Pantoliano) after he is posthumously accused of shady dealings with drug cartels. During a battle with corrupt cops and fellow Miami Police Department officers, Mike and Marcus’ worst fears are nearly realized when their families are in danger, but an unexpected hero protects them.

Ride or die is one of the biggest hits of the summer, grossing over $400 million at the worldwide box office, receiving good reviews and achieving the highest audience rating of the franchise with a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. The sequel also stars Jacob Scipio, Eric Dane, Ioan Gruffuud, Paola Núñez, Vanessa Hudgens, Dennis McDonald, Tasha Smith, Tiffany Haddish and Alexander Ludwig.

Will there be another Bad Boys movie?

Smith and Lawrence have hinted at doing another Bad Boys film, with franchise producer Jerry Bruckheimer confirming that there have been talks about a fifth film at Sony Pictures. Liburd is also known for features in game of Thrones, this is us And Power Book II: Mind.

Ride or die is available for rent/purchase on various digital platforms.

Source: ScreenRant