Discussing his new Netflix movie LIFT alongside his co-stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Úrsula Corberó, Kevin Hart was joined by some of Audacy’s finest on-air talent including Julia, Shelley Wade from New York’s The Block, D.C.’s Poet from WPGC, and Ed Lover.
LISTEN NOW: Kevin Hart and the cast of 'LIFT'
No spoilers, but just for context — LIFT follows Cyrus Whitaker (Kevin Hart) and his international heist crew, as they race to lift $500 million in gold from a passenger plane at 40,000 feet.
Chatting all about the new project, and how all of his previous roles prepared him for the film that combines the comedy he’s used to, the more seriousness he’s previously taken on, as well as the added allure of action. Hart said, “I think its all part of a plan I’ve been putting together for some time," naming some of his more serious roles he’s taken on like in The Upside, Fatherhood, and True Story. “Those are strategic things that I wanted to do,” he continued, “And from the producing lens, positioning the company that has something big to come after True Story was the biggest priority. So the idea of LIFT came up… and my approach to that character was one of just change. Let’s see if we can transition to a different conversation of leading man.”
“To do that you need great material, great director, great producing partners, and more importantly a great cast,” he added. “So we were able to check all those boxes."
As a producer on the film, Kevin further elaborated about all the aspects he had his hand in, in regards to the project, from his character’s wardrobe to body language, he was creatively involved from “start to finish.”
Jokingly curious, Shelley asked if LIFT was his pseudo audition to play the next James Bond, to which Hart began to quip, “they already called… no I’m joking.” And went on to say, “I’ve done a good job at creating a lane that I’ve operated in for quite some time. If you think action, comedy, adventure, if you think animation, you think family, you think rom-com, I’ve really been able to check the boxes without standing on a soapbox and saying it. So, where this takes me… I don’t know, but we’ll see.”
Well, the consensus among the Audacy hosts is that a LIFT franchise is definitely where it should take him.
Kevin went on to share some of the intricate details and behind-the-scenes deets of what it was like shooting those stealthy airplane scenes, attributing their realness to “special effects at the highest level” and director F. Gary Gray.
After the stars of the film praised their stunt team for all their help in getting them prepared for the action heavy roles, Poet, Shelley, Julia and Ed praised the film and for all the powerful women-led roles, diversity, and oddly enough relatability. “That’s F. Gary Gray,” Gugu noted. “Rooting it in character, you know, so that you care about each character, like the dynamics between everybody. Everyone has their unique personalities and like completely different vibes."
Discussing what its like to go through rehearsal and shooting, and then now being able to see and experience the fruits of their labor, Kevin, Gugu and Úrsula all agreed it's all “very satisfying to see the results.” And that’s just in regards to the movie as a final product, now even including what the audience and critic response will be once everyone sees the film.
Before wrapping up the trio were asked to describe LIFT in three words. Gugu chose “fun, joyful ride,” Úrsula made up “adrenalinic,” also went with “fun” and finished off with “fast-paced.” To close out in true Kevin Hart form, he went with “the f***ing s***.” For all that and more, check out the entire interview above.
LIFT is available to stream now on Netflix. Check out the trailer below.