Kevin Hart talks ahead of Irresponsible tour coming to Arena Birmingham
Legendary comedian Kevin Hart has been pretty busy since the last time he ended up in Brum with his sell-out What Now tour. With his memoir I Can’t Make This Up: Life Lessons debuting at number one on the New York Times’ bestseller list, he’s been voicing the character Captain Underpants in its first Epic movie.
He’s also been starring in the Sony reboot of the classic film Jumanji alongside Dwayne Johnson and Jack Black.
Returning to stand-up Hart is now set to bring his already widely successful and massively hysterical The Kevin Hart Irresponsible Tour to the Brum crowd, headlining Arena Birmingham on Thursday.
Kevin was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and began his career by winning several amateur comedy competitions at clubs throughout New England, culminating in his first real break in 2001 when he was cast by Judd Apatow for a recurring role on the TV series Undeclared.
His career took off and by 2015, Time Magazine had named Kevin one of the 100 most influential people in the world on the annual Time 100 list. He starred as himself in the lead role of Real Husbands of Hollywood.
Kevin named the show after admitting infidelity.
He says the experience had made him a ‘better man’.
“This straight line that I’m walking on now, there are no moments to be off-balance. There are no more shots. There are no more chances. I’m done. I’m done. I don’t want that level of fun no more, I don’t need it.
“I’m on some grown man different s*** where if it doesn’t involve my family, I’m not interested.”
He adds: “I’m guilty, regardless of how it happened and what was involved, the s*** that I can’t talk about, I’m guilty. I’m wrong.”
The incident happened when Kevin told fans about an alleged extortion attempt that included a ‘sexually provocative’ video of him with another woman. He had to apologise to his then-eight-months-pregnant wife Eniko Parrish as he revealed what had happened. Soon after, Eniko gave birth to their son, Kenzo Kash.
“You don’t plan to f*** up. You f*** up, and then you go, ‘Oh s***, I f***** up’ … I’m gonna go home, I’m gonna address it, I’m gonna make my wife fully aware of what’s going on in the situation that I have now put us in and I’m hoping that she has a heart to where she can forgive me and understand that this is not going to be a reccurring thing and allow me to recover from my f****** massive mistake. That’s what I’m trying to do not only as a man, but within teaching a lesson to my son.
“Have I been naughty or nice? That’s definitely a tough question for Kevin right now, it was a tough year for me.
“I had some bumps in the road. But the good thing is you take great steps backwards to take great steps forward. So now, I’ve recovered from some not nice times and now what I basically want is for Santa to know that I’m doing good and I’m doing better. Just to know I’m good guy.”
Kevin reflects on the episode on his tour. And Eniko helped him to promote the show. She made an appearance in a video and started ordering Kevin around as he meekly obliges her requests, then adds: “I’m going on tour with you. Ain’t gone be no more stupid s***. Take the bag and go get the baby.”
Kevin admitted that after the scandal, it wasn’t easy for the couple to get back on track.
“You got to be patient and literally give your woman the time that she needs to recover from that and afterwards, still know that s***’s gonna come back up.
“There’s days where we ride in the car and I catch her staring at the side of my face. I act like I don’t feel it. I just act like I don’t feel it and just keep driving. But I know. The difference is, I love my wife. My wife knows my heart. You know who your man is and what I stand for. You know the foundation we’ve built.”
Kevin plans to turn his gig at Arena Birmingham into the sort of show that fans might catch if they saw him play at the city’s Glee club. He’ll bring his trademark manic energy, self-deprecating style and relatable storytelling but will be seeking an intimate atmosphere.
“I pride myself on putting together productions. My shows are no longer just shows with me and a microphone, it’s a production.
“I take that big arena and make it feel like a comedy club. I make it intimate. I capture amazing moments by making you feel like you’re not only watching a show but you’re a part of it.”
