LOS ANGELES (AP) — Martin Lawrence has kept busy: The actor-comedian readies for his new “Bad Boys” film with Will Smith this summer, recently joined his “ Martin ” cast members during the Emmys, and stars alongside Hall of Fame football player Shannon Sharpe in a new Super Bowl commercial.
In the commercial, Lawrence and Sharpe pair up for a friendly game of golf — until their cart rolls into a pond. That’s when Lawrence shows off his strength to the muscle-bound, retired NFL player who watches in awe as the comedian walks into the pond, picks up the cart and carries it out.
Lawrence, 58, enjoyed seeing his digitally-enhanced brawn in the ad.
“It was cool to hook up with Shannon and sort of switch roles in the muscle area,” said Lawrence about the 30-second Oikos yogurt commercial. He’ll be waiting to see his first Super Bowl commercial appearance from his home when the Kansas City Chiefs face the San Francisco 49ers in the championship game on Feb. 11.
“I felt it was kind of funny,” he said. “It was a funny commercial they wrote.”
Along with his commercial, Lawrence said he’s looking forward to the fourth “Bad Boys” movie, which will be released June 14. The Jerry Bruckheimer produced-sequel follows 2020’s “Bad Boys for Life,” a box-office hit, grossing $426 million worldwide.
“It’s going to be the best of them all,” he said. “I feel so truly blessed. I’m very grateful and thankful to God because this is a franchise I choose years ago. And it turned out to be just that — a big franchise.”
Lawrence said he’s working on putting together a standup comedy tour soon. He doesn’t have any dates set yet, but he wants to return to the stage and make people laugh, which he says is a tough task.
“It’s still difficult in the sense of the pressure that comes with it,” he said. “You don’t want that pressure and things like that. But it’s a lot easier for me because I’m known now, and I have a built-in audience. They love to see me get up there on stage and do my thing. That’s what makes it a lot easier for me. It gives me the confidence to keep pushing forward.”
Lawrence draws his comedy material from real-life experiences.
“It comes from my woes, my ups and downs, and pain,” he said. “The pain I’ve been through. And the laughter. … I talk to my brother and my friends, and they help me write.”
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