Kevin Hart |’There’s a lot of propaganda attached to the idea of what SA is’
After observing multi-award-winning comic and actor Kevin Hart’s contemporary satirical motion movie, Die Hart, one would be justified in questioning he was once thinking about placing up the mic on comedy.
But die-hard followers can relaxation certain – it’s all a calculated go to set the tone for an even higher project.
Hart spoke about the movie and extra at a press convention in advance of the movie’s premiere at Monte Casino.
Die Hart releases in South African cinemas on Wednesday and will be on hand to movement on Prime Video global from 24 February.
When you build a fan base, and you build an audience, you have to carefully navigate how you present anew to that audience,” he said.
“You don’t want to throw off the people that have been with you for so long; you don’t want to throw them a whirlwind or a loop which is why there’s been a steady progression into the more serious roles and then I’ll go back to comedy, then I’ll do something serious.”
He added:
So that when I do the big one, there’s an understanding of where it’s from. Lift, which will be out this summer, is the big one.
This is the big action thriller… I didn’t just want to jump out with a role like that. I wanted to be smart about when I took that opportunity so that it made sense.
In Die Hart, the actor and comedian plays a fictionalized version of himself as he sets out to move away from being pigeonholed as a comedy wingman, to being taken seriously as an action movie star.
He attends “action hero school” run by Ron Wilcox (John Travolta), where he attempts to learn how to become one of the industry’s most coveted action stars.
Nathalie Emmanuel, Josh Hartnett and Jean Reno star alongside him and Travolta. It is written by Derek Kolstad, the man behind John Wick: Chapters 1, 2 and 3.
Hart said enlisting Kolstad in the production had been “intentional”.
“Outsource the people that have done it correctly so that they can help you do the thing that you want to do, well,” he said. “You don’t have to navigate outside the box.”
The comedy in Die Hart is the want to be an action star, but the real movie, the movie is that we’re doing real action in the movie.
There’s real action scenes, and Nathalie Emmanuel is great in the moments that we embedded her in to showcase that she’s got that in her bag while having fun and making jokes.
Hart further said that while the cast consisted of a “very diverse group of people” and “familiar faces”, he wanted to continue expanding on the diversity in his productions. He added that, that was part of the “beauty of coming here [South Africa]”.
“In this trip here, I’m getting better educated as to what the talent and who the talent is from here,” he said.
“It’s about the relationship, the international exposure, more importantly, the opportunity to embed these products here in a way that nobody else has in hopes that I gain your trust, to build future relationships with your directors, writers, producers to develop material here with you and I can take back to the States.”
Speaking about being in South Africa again, where he also had his Reality Check tour, Hart said he was still embracing the name he was given during his first trip in 2016.
He said:
Me allowing the name Mpho (gift) to live on, it’s a way for me to embrace the culture and the people because it was given to me from a place of love.
The comedy shows that happened in 2016, the highlight that I took from it was the name that was given to me and, coming back, I feel like it’s a major bonus for you to see that I haven’t forgotten that.
I still hold onto the name – there’s a significant amount of value and me coming back, I stayed true to it, so it’s one of those never forgotten moments that I would hope that the people here embrace and see that I prioritise.
Reflecting on his first time in the country, Hart said he had received “an amazing history lesson and understanding” of South African heritage, its backdrop, the people and land.
Coming from the States, there’s a lot of propaganda attached to the idea of what South Africa is.
He added that “there was a moment where I was talking about the shots (vaccinations) that I gotta get before I come because I don’t know what’s going to happen, and it was all based off the news and stories.
Once I got here, it was more of a thing where I was like, ‘What the fuck?’ It’s ridiculous. It’s not only beautiful, but the people are dope; the energy is exactly what it would be like in the States.”
“The story of your truth is not told enough, and it’s because a lot of people don’t come and embrace your world.”
Hart’s Reality Check tour kicked off in Cape Town last week and wrapped up in Pretoria over the weekend.
Former The Daily Show host and fellow comedian Trevor Noah surprised the audience at his final show.
Kevin Hart |’There’s a lot of propaganda attached to the idea of what SA is’
