Hart, Cranston make unlikely pair
Performers bond as comic tackles serious role of caregiver to paralyzed billionaire in The Upside
Kevin Hart is starting 2019 on the right note.
After an uproar last month over past homophobic tweets that led to him exiting as Academy Awards host, the 39-year-old comic is kicking off the new year by co-starring alongside Bryan Cranston in the feel-good dramedy The Upside.
Based on the 2011 French hit The Intouchables that stars Francois Cluzet and Omar Sy, the heartwarming film finds Hart playing a parolee who strikes up an unusual friendship with a paralyzed billionaire (Cranston) after he is hired to be his caregiver. Q What helps these characters connect? Cranston: The thing about these two characters is that they’re both damaged to a point where they don’t know what the solution is. But the other character, unbeknownst to them, offers a way out of their current condition. It gives them both the hope of the possibility of a brighter future. Q The 2011 original was a hit worldwide. Why do you think audiences around the world connected with the story of Philippe and Driss?
Cranston: This was a great story in its original form 10 years ago or so. The way that these two men could become friends is beautifully scripted because it’s not natural. Men don’t seek out to be friends with other men; it just happens. You’re in the same circle and you have things in common and maybe you get together. You kind of have to read between the lines when friends gather to see if it will happen. You prod a little bit, but not too much. A man has to have his own time to come out of his cave and be able to say, ‘I’ve got something on my mind .... ’ Two very different men, who meet under these unusual circumstances, strictly by accident and there’s something about them that oddly attracts the other and vice versa. They kind of tiptoe around each other and they’re not quite sure and then they fall into that position of becoming friends and it’s
quite by accident. Q You have great chemistry in this movie. How did you guys establish the easy rapport you have onscreen?
Hart: There’s no systematic approach to bonding. You either hit it off or don’t. You either click with an individual or you don’t. And when you do click, like we did, it’s effortless. In this particular case, Bryan and I talked beforehand and I think we both saw that there was an eagerness to take this project on. I think he saw how serious I was about this and when we got to the set, and we started doing rehearsals, we met each other’s expectations and then some. We were in this for the
same reason and that was: to make a good movie. Q Were you looking to do something a bit more dramatic?
Hart: I think it was definitely time for me to look at some more serious material. I have a lot of movies under my belt and I’ve had some box office success. But you want to make sure that you’re always challenging yourself. It doesn’t mean you go crazy with the challenge, but it’s good to take a step in a direction that’s a little out of the norm. This was a project that wasn’t necessarily what I was used to doing, but that’s what attracted me to it. And when you’re in the company of people
like Bryan and Nicole (Kidman), that’s amazing company to be in. So I jumped at that opportunity. Q The guys you play in this movie — Phillip and Dell — give each other a second chance at life. Who’s the person who gave you the first chance in your career?
Cranston: Well, the thing is, everyone needs a champion. You get that from your family members or your wife, but everyone needs that. And along with that, you need someone who’s going to hold the door open for you. Hopefully now, with Kevin and I in these positions, we will in turn do that for the next generation of actors .... For me, there were people like Linwood Boomer, who gave me a shot in (the TV series) Malcolm in the Middle. I was told afterwards that Fox was considering replacing me in that role . ... But Linwood Boomer said, ‘No, I’m not replacing him.’ And you need that. You need someone to step up and fall on the sword for you. But when that happens, you need to be a champion to them as well and prove that they made the right decision in sticking with you and giving you a shot. It’s all about getting the opportunity and then creating more opportunities for the younger generation, and that includes you, Kevin.
Hart: Yes, I’m definitely part of the younger generation (laughs). Q So who gave you your first big chance? Hart: For me, it came from Roc-A-Fella producer Damon Dash and it was a movie called Paper Soldiers. He saw me perform at Carolines on Broadway and they were putting together that movie and he gave me a part. I’d also say Jessy Terrero, who put me in a movie called Soul Plane. Now both of these movies were bootlegged heavily, but these were opportunities that I will never forget because they helped me be able to book standup shows on a headlining level, which led to more roles.