When making a high-octane action film, there is always an element of danger involved – and Kevin Hart had a brush with death when filming his new Netflix heist film Lift.
The comedian, who leads a high-profile international cast in the film, claimed that one moment on Venice’s canals made him fear for his life.
When asked about some of the difficulties of filming, he promptly replied:
“I’m gonna go to the scene where we almost died!”
He added: “We wanted to get some shots of, like, reactions during a chase scene. So we got on the boat and on this particular day the water was really choppy in Venice. So we were going against the chop, so the boat’s getting a little air. And he’s like, ‘Let’s pick up the speed a little bit.'”
Gugu Mbatha-Raw, his co-star says she was “luckily” not on the boat when the event occurred, then pointed out that there was a language barrier between the stunt driver and the actors.
“There’s a little anxiety in there,” Kevin Hart continued. “Like a little anxiety with F Gary [Gray, director]. And he’s like, ‘OK, we’re gonna go… does he understand me?’
“Like, we go, and he picks up some speed. And we hit a wave a little high, and the boat came down and, like, yanked real quick – you see the camera guy go to the side, F almost went outside of the boat. I remember specifically saying to myself, ‘Well, this is it, this is death – this is how we’re all gonna do it.’
“Úrsula [Corberó, co-star] was like, ‘I’m shaken up’ – she needed a second. That’s probably the craziest thing!”
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Mbatha-Raw went on to explain how she joined the rest of the group for another scene shortly after the incident and saw they were still a touch spooked.
“I still remember then I had the next scene with you guys after,” she said. “And I was on the boat, and I was like [enthusiastically], ‘Hi everyone’ and then everyone’s like… looking green.”
Gugu, who plays police officer Abby Gladwell, recalls comparing some of the more action-packed moments to those seen in James Bond or the Fast and Furious franchise:
‘It’s so funny you say that, actually, because when we were filming in Venice, I’m running along the canal and some tourists were saying to the crew, “Is this new Bond movie?”
‘I was jumping into a boat like, “It’s Lift, you’ll hear about it in a year!”’
Kevin is well-known for his comedic abilities and has spent much of his time in the spotlight making us laugh with roles in comedies such as Central Intelligence, Ride Along, and Me Time.
Lift, on the other hand, ignored the chuckles and jumped right into his villain role, evidently relishing the chance to be a little more serious.
‘It’s not really villain,’ he clarified. ‘What it is, it’s con. It’s a guy who’s not necessarily doing the right thing – it’s the wrong thing – but because it’s con, and its charm, you feel like he’s doing the right thing.
‘His ability to make you feel like you’re at ease, and like you’re a part of good, it’s all based off of what he does well. That, for me, is a lot of fun to play because it’s a place that I can play in that’s real, that’s grounded, and that isn’t farfetched to see me in.
‘That’s what I think was the most interesting thing about Cyrus. You didn’t throw me into an atmosphere where people go, ” What? No!” You get it. It’s like, “Oh, I do see him being that, and I get why he’s able to do that well.”
‘Then I like the romance side of it. It wasn’t overstated, it was understated, and then you find yourself invested.’
Lift is streaming on Netflix now. Sign up for Netflix.
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