Kevin Hart plays his most dramatic role yet in "Fatherhood ."- The actor told Insider the part represented the "growth" he was looking for in his career.
- Hart said Barack Obama spoke to him about the importance of the movie during production.
There was a sudden hush over the conference room on the Sony lot.
The often mundane weekly development meeting, where future projects are discussed, got a jolt of excitement when it was revealed that Kevin Hart wanted to take on the studio's long-dormant family drama, "Fatherhood." (They'd eventually sell the picture to
The biggest comedy star in the world was looking to change gears and do a tear-jerker about a man who must raise his daughter on his own after the death of his wife during childbirth.
All the executives turned their eyes to Sony chairman Tom Rothman to see how he would react.
"Now that is a big idea!" the veteran studio head said excitedly.
Big ideas are Hart's specialty. His career in Hollywood has evolved from selling out arenas and earning huge box office coin with his stand-up comedy shows to taking on the action-comedy genre thanks to franchises like "Ride Along" and "Jumanji." Now he's turning his focus to dramatic work.
"It's not like this is a new discovery that I can do drama," Hart said to Insider matter-of-factly over a Zoom chat, calling out his work in 2017's dramedy "The Upside." "I've known I can. I've just been waiting on the right projects."
Hart said the dramatic role represents the 'growth' he was looking for
Despite Hart's take, don't be confused: "Fatherhood" is definitely our first time seeing Hart go full drama. And the opening shot of the movie indicates viewers won't see that big smile or get silly one-liners as Hart's character Matt is on the verge of tears, standing to speak at his wife's funeral.
We then follow Matt as he takes on the responsibility of being a single father, despite the demands of his work and the urging of his mother-in-law (Alfre Woodard) to let her raise the child. It's an uplifting story but also a very serious one (I counted on one hand the number of times Hart even cracks a smile).
For Hart, 41, "Fatherhood" is his path to level up to the heights of Tom Hanks and Adam Sandler - actors who cut their teeth in comedy but went on to prove they could pull in audiences with their dramatic work as well.
"I'm a tree," Hart said of his career. "And as a tree grows, those branches become things of their own. It's about expansion. It's about growth and it's about evolving within your craft. 'Fatherhood' was exactly what I was looking for."
But what's equally remarkable is how his HartBeat Productions pulled the project out of development hell to get it made.
Channing Tatum originally starred in 'Fatherhood,' but Hart's involvement led to a story change and Barack Obama getting involved
Back in 2015, Sony announced it was developing "Fatherhood" with Channing Tatum to star, based on Matthew Logelin's 2011 memoir "Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss and Love."
For years, the project lay dormant until 2019 when producer Marty Bowen sent Hart the script.
"I remember getting a little teary-eyed within the first 20 pages of reading the script," Hart said. "We had conversations and the conversations were about taking this on, but shaping it and molding it where it could fit me while staying true to Matt's original story."
"The author of the book is a white man, but ultimately the notion that you can build on his story and can create this experience for Black fathers that we haven't seen in cinema in many, many years was deeply exciting," Smiley told Insider.
Soon after Smiley found himself heavily involved in the project as Hart hired him to be the head of his production company, HartBeat, which over the last 12 years has grown to have first-look deals at Universal and Netflix.
"I produced a film with Kevin called 'Central Intelligence' and got to see first hand his amazing talent and work ethic," Netflix's head of original films Scott Stuber told Insider over email. "When we discussed the potential of building a business together with Kevin and his team at HartBeat, we felt like there were infinite possibilities with what we could achieve together."
At Netflix, HartBeat has been behind the comedian's hit stand-up releases like "Zero F---s Given" and his 2019 documentary about his career and marriage turmoil, "Kevin Hart: Don't F**k This Up." The streamer also houses the comedian's older specials, including 2019's "Kevin Hart: Irresponsible," 2016's "Kevin Hart: What Now?," and 2009's "Kevin Hart: I'm A Grown Little Man." Smiley noted that several film and TV projects are ready to go into production in the coming year.
Barack Obama had some words of advice for Hart ahead of the movie
"Fatherhood" is a major moment for HartBeat. Both Smiley and Hart told Insider it proves to Hollywood that they are focused on making important work.
That became more evident when Barack and Michelle Obama's production company, Higher Ground, joined the movie.
"I got to talk to Obama," Hart said with a big smile on his face. "He really saw the opportunity in this movie for positive messaging attached to a Black man being a good father."
Hart knew that the former president was a film buff, but admitted he was taken back to learn that the Obamas are also fans of his
"He has always shown a high level of love and support for the things I've done, which is dope as hell," Hart said.
Now Hart's production company is seeking an 'Austin Powers'-like movie for him
For those who love to see Hart mixing comedy and action, don't worry. He's not walking away from the genre.
In fact, Hart spoke to Insider from the location of his upcoming movie "Borderlands," based on the popular video game. (Cate Blanchett and Jamie Lee Curtis also star.)
However, Hart said doing "Fatherhood" was important in his progression in Hollywood since he wants his brand to touch all different facets of media.
"It's about checking as many boxes as I can," he explained. "When you look at animation, I'm there. Comedy, I'm there. Docuseries, podcast, I'm in love with the access of opportunity."
And with "Fatherhood" proving he can do serious roles, Hart said he's going to continue down the drama path a little longer.
Coming soon to Netflix is the HartBeat-produced limited series "True Story," in which Hart plays a fictional version of himself: a Philadelphia-born comic whose relationship with his troubled older brother (played by Wesley Snipes) could destroy the career he's trying to build.
"It's another level of my dramatic performances," Hart said of the series, which has yet to get a release date. "This is a real look into the projects we can really do at HartBeat."
Meanwhile, Smiley is looking at bigger things for the company. He said he's in search of a project for Hart that latches onto pop culture.
"Kevin and I just talked about this. A dream project for us is a comedy like Mike Myers did with 'Austin Powers,'" Smiley said. "Where you can do multiple movies that people talk about 20 years from now. That's the goal: films that people come back to time and time again."
Netflix releases "Fatherhood" on Friday.