Kevin Hart: Personality at play

by Emma Kat Richardson

Kevin Hart’s huge presence onstage hasn’t gone unnoticed. It’s scored him high profile movie roles, consistently sold out club and theater shows throughout the country and now, his second hour-long special, CD and DVD, Seriously Funny. Next stop: Household Namesville.

Standing tall at five feet, five inches (four and a half, according to some sources), diminutive stand-up Kevin Hart is firmly planted upon the beginnings of an epic career, pasted together with the huge laughs that shake audiences like tidal waves every time he brings the mic to his lips.

But to be sure, the life and times of Kevin Hart are certainly not the result of any stunted Napoleon complex; indeed, universality is the ultimate key here, and for this streetwise and cocksure comic, finding a connection with his audience is enough of a rush to make a man feel positively Philistine. (Well, in terms of stature, anyway.)

A native of Philadelphia – and a former sneaker salesman – Hart has been heating up Hollywood lately with a successful slew of film roles (in movies like Fool’s Gold and Death at a Funeral), and TV appearances (like Starz’s quirky and now sadly canceled dramedy Party Down).

Then, of course, there’s those forever-gyrating comedy chops that make the ladies go ga-ga and the fellas go ha-ha. (For the record, the ladies are most likely going “ha-ha,” too.)

His new hour special, Seriously Funny, premieres July 11 at 10 pm EST on Comedy Central, with the CD and DVD versions out in stores July 20.

Sitting down for a rap session with Punchline Magazine, Hart called us to dish on hip-hop-oriented comedy, the sex appeal of short guys, and why he intends to remain fully clothed for the duration of his comedy career.

What’s the main difference between Kevin Hart the comedian and Kevin Hart the private citizen?
You know what’s funny? There is no difference. What you see is what you get. I think that’s what people kind of love the most about me; you know, I am a very humble guy.

What drives your comedic voice, and where does it come from?
Reality. My life – that’s where my humor comes from. My personal experiences; I love to talk about things that I can relate to. I talk about things that have really happened, whether it’s positive or negative. With some things, if you make light of them, it makes it better. I talk about stuff I’ve been through personally.

How do you make it funny?
Well, you know, I’m a storyteller. I’m like a younger version of Bill Cosby, but maybe a little edgier. What Bill Cosby did [was] he took things that happened and then he told a story. He put in punchlines, but it wasn’t just punchlines, because he was talking about things that were true. He told things that were true but really funny: it’s just about how you present those things. So you just do it in a universal way. That’s my message: I try to make it universal, so that it doesn’t just appeal to black people or to white people. I want it to appeal to everyone, so I try to broaden my point of view and what I’m talking about in a way that everyone can understand it and relate to it and laugh at it.

Was Bill Cosby an inspiration for you, growing up?
Of course. [He was] an inspiration to everyone, you know? He made it look so easy. I’m definitely a huge fan of Bill Cosby, and I love that he still goes onstage, he still performs. I saw Bill Cosby perform in Montreal for an hour and 40 minutes, at his age. It’s motivating, for one, and at the same time, unbelievable. Makes me think I have no excuse not to get better in my craft.

Jokes.com
Kevin Hart – Reasons Not to Fight
comedians.comedycentral.com

Did you always want to pursue a career in comedy, or was it something that was dropped unexpectedly into your lap?
It was thrown at me when I was like 17-18. A friend of mine tried to get me up on stage, and I said I don’t know how, I don’t know where to go. And he found out about this amateur night so I said yeah, I’ll do it. I went and did it and I fell in love with it. I fell in love with the stage, and being in front of the lights. It gave me the opportunity to try and be funny, which I wasn’t in the beginning; I definitely had a lot to learn. You can’t just be the same humor guy you are around your friends and your family.

I definitely didn’t expect things to get to where they are now, though. I thought I was just doing it to do it, but after I fell in love with it, things couldn’t go any other way.
What would have been your alternate career choice?

Uh, I probably would have worked for, like, Nike. I was working at this sports place in Philadelphia, and it really got me into the whole sneaker thing. I wanted to learn and know everything about sneakers. I was in charge of the foot department of the store, and Nike used to come in and overlook our section; they were very impressed with it.

Did growing up in Philly play a big part in your comedic voice? Was there much of a comedy scene there?
At that time, no, it wasn’t a big comedy scene. There were two comedy clubs, so I was mainly doing like bars. It was never like a place that was strictly for [comedy]. In New York I feel in love with the comedy scene; New York had about 13-14 comedy clubs.

There’s been something of a resurgence of hip-hop-oriented comedy lately. Do you think you play any kind of role in this new genre? How do you fit in?
Um, I think I fit where I want to fit. I’m not trying to be that comic. I try to be universal; mainstream. In my opinion, you have to be able to [speak] to all those audiences. Do I have the hip-hop feel to me? Of course I do, but at the same time, I also understand that there are a lot of other things going on out there, that people love and are in love with.

So when you say the hip-hop comedy scene, I’m looking so much further than that. If that makes any sense?

Yeah, it does. Do you have a strategy for keeping your material universal?
You know what, no. What I’m doing has worked so far; I don’t want to change anything. Hopefully I’ll continue growing the way I’m growing.

Do you try to bring a lot of yourself into your film and television roles?
My personality does come out in a lot of the parts that I play, with the exception of Fool’s Gold, where I played the bad guy. I feel like when you’re acting in these movies, and you’re a comedian, they’re hiring you because of your comedic talent. Because of your personality, they feel like you’ll fit good in that role. You don’t have to change who you are until you start getting parts that require you to be a different person. For instance, those 300 movies or Mission: Impossible, where you’re playing different characters.

But luckily, in my career, so far they’ve wanted me to kind of be myself. Except for Meet Dave, where I got to be a little alien, but everything else is… you know, there’s always a glimpse of who I am really in these parts.

Jokes.com
Kevin Hart – Permission to Cuss
comedians.comedycentral.com

Have you ever thought of trying to challenge yourself with a dramatic role, or something like that?
Of course. At times, those things come, but I think that the road that I have is a long road. I want longevity, not the….short version of longevity.

Shortgevity?
[Laughs]. Yeah, I don’t want that. I want to be around for a long time, so as I continue to grow, and hopefully the parts will get bigger and more challenging. You’ve just got to be up for the challenge you’ve committed yourself for. [sic]

Your MySpace bio describes you as full of “immodest warmth and sex appeal.” Do you agree with this assessment?
Of course! Funny and sexy; women love to laugh. If you’re a halfway decent looking man and you can make a woman laugh, you’ll be fine.

Is that something you’ve worked to cultivate, or does it just come to you naturally?
Uh, it comes to me naturally! I don’t think about it. If you have to think about it, you wind up as that crazy guy with no shirt on. I love the fact that I get the attention that I get, and I get the response from women that I get. I just don’t change it.

So you’re going to be the fully-clothed comedian, is what I’m hearing?
Yes. Until I’m required to take clothes off onscreen…

I was surprised to read that you’re only five foot four. I’m only five foot one, so I can definitely relate.
Five foot five! Where did you read only five foot four?

On your IMDB page! I’m sorry. But can you tell me why short guys are sexier than tall guys? Make a believer out of me.
You know why? Because we’re more confident. We’re more confident because we have nothing to lose. Short guys are like, “You know what? You’re going to love me because I’m going to make you love me.” We don’t ask questions, and we have the Napoleon complex. Not abusive, but some women like men to take control, and short men have nothing better to do than to try and be in control.

Does that factor into your comedy at all?
Uh… yeah!

Is there a moment from your career that you’re most proud of so far?
I’m just happy and proud of the fact that I’m taking care of my family; that I’m a man and living up to my responsibilities as a man. My kids are happy – that’s what I’m proud of.

Is there anything you wish you could have done differently, or done over?
No, because everything that’s happened has lead me to where I am today. Without mistakes, you have no character.

What are some of your long-term career and comedy goals?
I just started a production company. Within my production company, the goal is to start to produce and write my own films, and you eventually become a mogul – a self-made mogul. With time and with goals, a person has priorities. Right now my priorities are straight, and I’m always looking at where I can be and where I can go, and how to get there.

Do you see yourself moving to more of the behind-the-scenes aspect of the entertainment field?
Of course, of course.

You ever think you’ll move away from stand-up?
No. Never. No. I’m in love with stand-up.

Kevin Hart’s special, Seriously Funny, premieres July 11 at 10 pm EST on Comedy Central, with the CD and DVD versions out in stores July 20. For more info on Kevin, check out khartonline.com. To buy the DVD, just click the image below.