Kevin Hart is opening up about how Soul Plane was meant to be his big Hollywood breakthrough—but things didn’t go as planned.
Speaking on an episode of The Underground Lounge, Hart looked back on the 2004 film and admitted his early career didn’t unfold the way he imagined.
“Soul Plane was a dope ass movie because it was simply a bullied movie,” he said around the 19-minute mark. “We didn’t have fucking permits. We didn’t have the right to shoot. We guerilla’d. The fucking movie that came out became a hood classic.”
He went on to explain that the film was supposed to “be my mainstream hit,” especially with its $25 million budget. However, after it leaked months ahead of its official release, the movie struggled to perform at the box office.
“I’m not getting any calls to do any more movies,” Kevin Hart recalled about life after Soul Plane. “Nobody is giving me more opportunities to star in anything. The TV show got canceled right after. I’m like, ‘Welp, I guess that’s it.’”
He went on to share that, despite the setback, his stand-up comedy became the driving force behind his success.
“All the comedy shows started selling out,” Hart said.
Now, more than 20 years into his career, the comedian has announced a new audiobook titled Kids Make Me Angry earlier this month.
The project, set to drop on Audible, will explore the eight stages of fatherhood Hart has gone through over the years.
“I had no blueprint for being a dad, so I had to figure it out on my own,” Hart shared in a statement. “And let me tell you, I wasn’t always perfect, but I showed up 100 percent of the time.”
Kids Make Me Angry is scheduled for release on June 4.
