Ambulance's Yahya Abdul Mateen II teases director Michael Bay for not knowing who he was

While introducing Ambulance at the film's April 4 premiere in Los Angeles, director Michael Bay admitted he wasn't familiar with star Yahya Abdul Mateen II when his name came up during casting.

"What's a Yahya?" he recalls asking a producer, before eventually meeting the actor, who plays conflicted ex-Marine Will Sharp in the high-concept action thriller. After watching some of Mateen's work, Bay realized "this guy is gonna be a star."

Not one to let that slide, Mateen — taking the stage at The Academy Museum's David Geffen Theater, alongside Bay and costars Jake Gyllenhaal and Eiza Gonzalez — teased the director, saying he couldn't wait to have a drink with Bay and familiarize him with "The Matrix, Aquaman, Candyman, Trial of the Chicago Seven," as well as his "Emmy-winning" performance in The Watchmen.

In Ambulance, Abdul-Mateen stars as Sharp, a decorated veteran struggling to pay for his wife's medical bills. When Sharp turns to his adopted brother Danny (Gyllenhaal) for help, he gets roped into an ill-fated bank robbery, barely escaping in a stolen ambulance with Danny. From there, the desperate duo, along with paramedic-turned-hostage, Cam (Eiza González), are plunged into a high-octane police chase around Los Angeles.

After joking with Abdul-Mateen, Bay went on to honor the real-life first responders — paramedics, police officers, firefighters, and others — in the audience, asking them to stand and be recognized by the applauding crowd for their work before starting the film.

Ambulance hits theaters April 8.

Additional reporting by Chanelle Johnson

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