News24.com | Kevin Hart weighs in on trip to Mzansi: 'There's a lot of propaganda attached to the idea of what SA is'

• Kevin Hart is setting the tone for an upcoming project which he promises is "the big one" in his latest satirical movie, Die Hart.
• The film releases in South African cinemas on Wednesday and will be available to stream on Prime Video worldwide from 24 February.
  
• In an interview, he also reflected on being in the country for the second time, saying that as an American, there was a lot of propaganda about South Africa in the US.

After watching multi-award-winning comedian and actor Kevin Hart's latest satirical action movie, Die Hart, one would be justified in thinking he was considering hanging up the mic on comedy. But die-hard fans can rest assured – it's all a calculated move to set the tone for an even bigger project.   

Hart spoke about the film and more at a press conference ahead of the movie's premiere at Monte Casino. Die Hart releases in South African cinemas on Wednesday and will be available to stream on Prime Video worldwide 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:

In Die Hart, the actor and comedian plays a fictionalised 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."

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:

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.

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.