'Die Hart 2: Die Harter' Interview with Kevin Hart

Moviefone speaks with Kevin Hart about 'Die Hart 2: Die Harter.' "I can only hope that the takeaway from this is really significant and good,' Hart said.

Season 2 of the popular series ‘Die Hart,’ which is cleverly entitled ‘Die Hart 2: Die Harter’ will premiere March 31st on The Roku Channel.

What is the plot of ‘Die Hart 2: Die Harter?’

Directed by Eric Appel (‘Weird: The Al Yankovic Story’), ‘Die Hart 2: Die Harter’ picks up after the events of the first season, which saw actor Kevin Hart (played by the real Kevin Hart) achieve his dream of becoming an action star when his reboot of ‘The Jeffersons’ becomes a box office hit. Now Kevin wants to cement his legacy as the greatest action star of all time.

Kevin’s developed a concept for a revolutionary movie where the action is so unscripted and unexpected that even he won’t know what’s coming next. But Kevin’s myopic dream comes with a blind spot, and he soon finds himself the victim of an evil revenge plot, orchestrated by someone from his past. Now, Kevin must enlist the help of his favorite co-star Jordan King (Nathalie Emmanuel), his over-eager assistant Andre (Ben Schwartz), Andre’s mom Cynthia (Paula Pell), and legendary Hollywood stuntman Mr. 206 (John Cena) if he wants to survive.

Who is in the cast of ‘Die Hart 2: Die Harter?’

‘Die Hart 2: Die Harter’ stars Kevin Hart (‘Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,’ ‘DC League of Super-Pets’) as himself, Nathalie Emmanuel (‘The Fate of the Furious’) as Kevin’s co-star Jordan King, Ben Schwartz (‘Sonic the Hedgehog’) as Kevin’s over-eager assistant Andre, Paul Pell (‘Sisters’) as Andre’s mom Cynthia, and John Cena (‘The Suicide Squad’) as legendary Hollywood stuntman Mr. 206.

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Kevin Hart about his work on ‘Die Hart 2: Die Harter,’ playing an exaggerated version of himself, becoming an action star, the show’s new characters, working with John Cena and the rest of the cast, the title, and which classic TV series he would like to see given a big screen adaption.

Kevin Hart stars in The Roku Channel's 'Die Hart 2: Die Harter.'

You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview with Kevin Hart.

Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about the challenges of playing an exaggerated version of yourself in this series and were you concerned that some people might think this is the real you?

Kevin Hart: No, I mean this is a fun role to play. The opportunity to play an exaggerated version of yourself can only set the table for you to do things that you wish you could do in real life. You can get away with so much more. So I think I'm very happy with the real version of myself, but I love now having the table and template set up to play this version, and people understand the difference.

MF: In the series, the character of Kevin dreams of being an action star. In real life, is starring in action films something you’ve always dreamed of doing in addition to comedy?

KH: I think the roles and the opportunity attached to them have put me in a space where I can dabble, or have dabbled in action. This here is just taking it to the next level of fun and participation. There's real movies that are set up to happen later in the year where the action is, I can say, a massive upgrade than what you've seen me do in the past. Everything is done with a plan attached to it, right? Nothing is an accident. So in this case, setting the table up for the playful entry into action, and for the playful idea of Kevin wanting the opportunity, only to later expand and show me having it. It's all thought out. So baby steps, the baby steps of association are what you're witnessing. Only to eventually see the side that I know is coming, be presented, and be real, and be good. That's the beauty of being creative. That's the art and artistry of idea and execution. So I can only hope that the takeaway from this one is really significant and have an immediate understanding that, "Oh yeah, Kevin can do this because we saw him doing it before."

Kevin Hart stars in The Roku Channel's 'Die Hart 2: Die Harter.'

MF: In addition to playing Kevin Hart, you also play a new character this season, Doug. What can you tell us about him?

KH: Doug is a stunt man to Kevin, who wants to be an action star. Well, you definitely need a stuntman. In this series, there's a stance that Kevin has where he doesn't need a stuntman, and he kind of overlooks, overpowers, overshadows him to the point where he says he doesn't need him. His stuntman is left with kind of egg on his face because he's done so much to get him where he got. Just like that, Kevin throws him to the side. So Doug basically goes, "Well, I'm going to get my revenge, and I'm going to make sure that you get yours. I'm going to take you down." So there's this thing of Kevin being haunted by his stunt guy. At the same time, trying to figure out the world of what this action thing is, while Natalie is convincing me of another, and John Cena’s doing what he's doing. So there's a lot of different directions that Kevin is being pulled into, and rightfully so. It just adds for great comedy and a great foundation for us to expand on.

MF: How did you create Doug’s unusual voice?

KH: Being silly, just being silly and finding something. It was very easy and then marrying myself to it. But yes, it wasn't a difficult stretch or a difficult thing to pull through. The teeth and the costume, it all helped.

John Cena in The Roku Channel's 'Die Hart 2: Die Harter.'

MF: What was it like working with Nathalie Emmanuel again and new cast members Ben Schwartz and John Cena?

KH: Great, from top to bottom. We are following the amazing cast that participated in part one, including Josh Hartnett, John Travolta, and Nathalie Emmanuel. Following suit in this season, with Natalie returning, we also have John Cena and Ben Schwartz. You want a very diverse cast, but you want a cast that gives you the opportunity to attack a global landscape. We feel that we check that box with comedy, with action, and with personnel. So we're very lucky and fortunate to have gotten the participation that we got. They've all exceeded our expectations just in performance. They elevated the material, they made it better, and that's all you can hope for.

MF: Can you talk about collaborating with director Eric Appel on the series?

KH: He's amazing. Eric and our writer Tripper (Clancy) have done an amazing job in just helping to shape and mold this IP into what it is today. I have a good time doing it, which is why I'm still here, right? Regardless of my landscape and the size of things that are going on, this is a priority and always has been.

(L to R) Nathalie Emmanuel and Kevin Hart in The Roku Channel's 'Die Hart 2: Die Harter.'

MF: In the first season, your character adapts the classic TV series ‘The Jeffersons’ in to an action movie. What classic television series would you like to see adapted in to a big screen movie?

KH: God, if you want to go and adapt it into a big screen movie, ‘Knight Rider.’ ‘Knight Rider’ could be a movie. I put that in that same space as ‘The A-Team’ and ‘Baywatch,’ of one of the ones that they can take and just have a bigger plot, a bigger twist, a bigger journey, so that it's not one note. I would say ‘Knight Rider.’

MF: Finally, and obviously, the title of the second season is a spoof on the ‘Die Hard’ sequel, ‘Die Hard 2’ Die Harder.’ Is it safe to say that if there is a third season it will be called ‘Die Hart: With a Vengeance?’

KH: Hart definitely will be in there. We're not losing the world of ‘Die Hart.’ So yes, you are spot on and we'll cross that road when we get to it.