Michael Bay Didn't Know His New Movie's Star Before Casting
Michael Bay recently admitted that he didn't know who Ambulance star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was before casting. The venerable action director is known for his bombastic Hollywood productions such as Bad Boys, The Rock, and the Transformers franchise. Bay's next film Ambulance is a hi-octane thriller that centers on Yahya as Will Sharp, a war veteran who enlists his criminal brother Danny (Jake Gyllenhaal) for a daring heist. But when things go wrong, the brothers steal an ambulance and must race through the streets of Los Angeles in an attempt to evade law enforcement.
Although Bay has directed many big-budget blockbusters with large ensemble casts, he has yet to cross paths with Abdul-Mateen. The actor's career is relatively new, scoring his first major role in the 2016 Baz Lurhmann hip-hop and R&B musical seriesThe Get Down for Netflix. His career soon began a meteoric rise with roles in Baywatch, The Greatest Showman, and the DCEU's Aquaman, starring as one of the titular character's most famous villains, Black Manta. Yahya is slated to return to the role in the sequel, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023).
Related: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Movie & TV Shows: Where You Know The Watchmen Star
EW reports that Ambulance director Michael Bay did not know who Abdul-Mateen was before casting him in his upcoming action film. While introducing Ambulance at the film's premiere, Bay admitted that he was unaware of the star before meeting him during the casting process, jokingly saying, "What's a Yahya?" The director later admitted that after watching some of the actor's work, he quickly realized that "this guy is gonna be a star."
Not to be outdone, Abdul-Mateen joined co-stars Gyllenhaal and Eiza Gonzalez on stage at The Academy
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