Michael Bay has revealed in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter that he was not familiar with actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, the co-star of Bay’s latest film Ambulance, prior to casting him.
“[Universal Pictures president Peter Cramer] suggested I look at Yahya, and I’m like, ‘What’s a Yahya?’ He goes, ‘[He’s] an actor.’ I said, ‘I’ve never heard [of him],’” Bay recalled. “So, I see his stuff, and I’m like, ‘That guy is gonna be a movie star. I want to work with him.’”
In the movie, Abdul-Mateen II stars as Will Sharp, one of a pair of adoptive brothers, with the other portrayed by Jake Gyllenhaal. Together, the two find themselves dealing with the consequences of a botched bank heist, hijacking an ambulance as their getaway vehicle with all the high-octane, explosive dynamism we’ve come to expect from Michael Bay.
Bay’s unfamiliarity with Abdul-Mateen II may come as a surprise to many, as the 35-year-old actor has amassed an impressive résumé since his acting debut in the 2016 Netflix musical drama The Get Down. He would later have roles in 2017’s Baywatch and The Greatest Showman, portraying Sergeant Garner Ellerbee and WD Wheeler, respectively. He’s also no stranger to the horror and superhero genres, appearing in Jordan Peele’s Us as Russell Thomas, the protagonist’s father, and in James Wan’s Aquaman as Black Manta, one of the film’s villains, and a role that he will be reprising in 2023’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
But Abdul-Mateen II’s most decorated role came from his portrayal of Doctor Manhattan in the HBO series Watchmen, which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie, and a Black Reel Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor, TV Movie or Limited Series. Since then, he’s gone on to portray Bobby Seale in the acclaimed legal drama The Trial of the Chicago 7, the titular character in Nia DaCosta’s Candyman, and Morpheus in The Matrix Resurrections.
Ambulance releases in the United States on April 8th.
