Kevin Hart Had A Markedly Better 2014 Than He Did A 2013
Just as the Hart’s star was skyrocketing, he was arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated in April of 2013. The incident brought shame and embarrassment to Hart, who just two years prior divorced from his wife Torrei amidst rumor of infidelity on Hart’s behalf, an issue that Hart confronted in his stand-up comedy act. It also tarnished what by all other accounts would have been considered a tremendously successful year as Hart’s latest stand-up comedy special, Let Me Explain, was released theatrically to great success, a feat few stand-up comics have ever managed to reach, in addition to Hart’s two film appearances in This is the End and Grudge Match.
Just a year later, Hart’s success has eclipsed his passed personal misfortunes by light years. In 2014, in addition to his roles as the central character and producer of the parody reality farce Real Husbands of Hollywood, Hart appeared in a whopping five films: Ride Along, About Last Night, Think Like A Man Too, School Dance, and Top Five, and it was announced that Hart will host the first Saturday Night Live of 2015, Hart’s second time hosting the iconic NBC staple in three years.
On top of all that, Hart has maintained a relentless touring schedule, performing his stand-up in theaters nationwide, often times at venues where sell outs necessitated the addition of shows to meet the demand for Hart. While keeping such a strenuous schedule is undoubtedly tough, it is the live performances that fuels Hart, reports Kevin Coffee of the Omaha World-Herald.
“Having a live audience, having that immediate feedback, hearing that laughter, that’s what you live for, that’s what you love the most — hearing laughter, hearing that response…when you’re live, when you hear that reaction, it is motivation not just to go on, but to keep hearing that laughter and to hear it grow. I don’t think there’s a better feeling in the world.”
Hart shows no signs of slowing down. Already, Hart is gearing up for the release of The Wedding Ringer, and the trailer for his highly anticipated Will Ferrell buddy comedy Get Hard just hit the internet. It is expected that as Hart’s stand-up schedule winds down, another one hour special will follow soon after, wedged somewhere between his juggled projects and the filming of Ride Along 2, which is currently in production.
Hart’s prolific success in 2014 was such that even a minor hiccup by way of a hacked email from Sony Pictures, in which executives referred to Hart as a “money whore” for asking Sony to compensate him for the use of his massive social media fan base, was a minor hiccup. Sony’s objections aside, Kevin Hart can certainly be said to have “won” 2014.
