Michael Bay admits he had no clue who Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was when casting 'Ambulance'

• Michael Bay admitted that he was not familiar with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II when casting "Ambulance."
• "What's a Yahya?" Bay said he asked his producer, according to Entertainment Weekly.

Michael Bay had to make a confession at this week's Los Angeles premiere of his new movie "Ambulance": he had no clue who Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was when casting for the movie began.

While speaking to the audience at the premiere, Bay shared his reaction to hearing Abdul-Mateen's name for the first time.

"What's a Yahya?" Bay recalled asking his producer, according to Entertainment Weekly.

But when Bay began studying up on the actor he said he realized, "This guy is gonna be a star."

When the actor took the stage alongside Bay and "Ambulance" costars Jake Gyllenhaal and Eiza Gonzalez, EW reported that Abdul-Mateen teased Bay by saying he couldn't wait to have a beverage with the director and enlighten him on his filmography.

Abdul-Mateen has starred in "The Matrix: Resurrections," "Candyman," and "The Trial of the Chicago 7." He also gave an Emmy-winning performance in "The Watchmen."

In "Ambulance," which opens in theaters on Friday, Abdul-Mateen and Gyllenhaal play bank robbers who end up in an ambulance after a botched heist and embark on a high-speed flee from the police around Los Angeles.