Comedic rock star Kevin Hart has been making history throughout his career from recently landing a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to selling out a football stadium in his hometown of Philadelphia.
Of all his feats, the latter is one he truly takes pride in, as no comic has ever sold out an entire football stadium of over 50,000 people. Kevin decided to celebrate this victory by turning that show into the “What Now” film, which is a unique blend of comedy show and action film.
Taking the footage from that night in Philly, combined with action sequences that feature appearances from the likes of Halle Berry, Dennis Keiffer, and Ben Seaward among others.
We caught up with Kevin during his press day for the film to talk more about the film’s significance, the importance of transcending social demographics, and the effects of fame.
You’ve often said that your stand up content is basked in your real life experiences. When it comes to scripts, what’s inspires your content and what’s that creative process like?
I consult what I call the “Think Tank”. I’m big on think tank ideas. I have 4 writers who have worked with me for a long time. We get together, throw out ideas and concepts, and what we love sticks, what we don’t love goes into the bucket. I have a lot of people who work with me to help create ideas and figure out how to incorporate them into content. They’re my close friends and colleagues, and we’ve worked together for a while now, so we work well together.
You’re a comic, so all of your films have a comedic element to them. But would you ever consider doing a more ‘serious’ film?
Absolutely. I’m actually going to be doing one here soon. I’m working with Bryan Cranston on a project where I’ll be in a more serious role. We start filming in March.
What did it feel like to make history in your hometown?
I can’t lie and say I haven’t dreamed of doing it. When people say it can’t be done, that’s what makes me want to do it. The dream of doing stadiums came when I did “Seriously Funny”, and people said “You can’t do this.” And that just made me say “S*it- watch me do this.”
On why maintaining personal and professional relationships is important:
I’m big on relationships and building trust and rapport with those I work with. I work with those who aren’t selfish. I work with people who collaborate to get the best results in OUR project. I’m big on being a team.
On being focused and intentional and how he stays grounded:
I stay grounded by surrounding myself with grounded individuals. There’s no room for error when you surround yourself with grounded individuals. Consistence is key. Staying focused on reaching goals and being successful is important. I don’t walk around with the “I’m the s*it” face.
On the importance of appealing to all races and identities:
The power of comedy is one thing that brings people of all walks of life together. When one can bring an amazing, loving environment simply by making people laugh, it’s a powerful thing. I live by the three L’s; Living, Loving, and Laughing. Love is contagious. Laughter is contagious. Me being able to deliver that to them is amazing.
How does your family inspire your career?
They’re priority. At the end of the day, nothing goes beyond them. Everything I do is for them. I want the legacy of the last name of Hart to hold value and I want to set up something different for my family that we didn’t have in the past. I want to break the mold and create a lasting legacy.
