Kevin Hart’s new blockbuster movie, Lift, was actually mistaken for James Bond.
The 44-year-old served as producer and also led a huge cast – including Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sam Worthington, Billy Magnussen and Yun Jee Kim – as master thief Cyrus Whitaker, who attempted to do the impossible and ‘lift’ gold bars from a plane at 40,000 feet.
In the flick, viewers will see the Jumanji actor in a role he has never portrayed before, giving Tom Cruise, Jason Statham and Mark Wahlberg a run for their money in the action stakes.
Speaking to Metro.co.uk about the new Netflix film, which is released on the streaming platform today, Kevin and Gugu shed light on how they made the ultimate heist movie with a difference.
When comparing some of the more action-heavy scenes to something we’d see in James Bond or the Fast and Furious franchise, Gugu – who plays police lead Abby Gladwell – recalled: ‘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 interjected: ‘No, it’s Lift! Just make sure you go and you stream it. It’s Lift, it’s not Bond! It’s not!’
He is no stranger to 007, having interviewed outgoing spy Daniel Craig for the release of No Time To Die.
Could he possibly fit into those iconic shoes after his latest release?
The movie follows the team as they dare to do the impossible – hijack gold bars worth a lot of money from a plane.
Viewers are jetted around the globe as Cyrus leads Abby on a wild cat-and-mouse rollercoaster, kicking things off with a heart-pounding sequence around the canals in Venice that any action hero would be proud of.
Discussing whether he had any nervous moments himself during those Bond-esque stunts during filming, Kevin quipped that he was a ‘trained assassin’ in real life, so generously let the stunt team take over in a bid to stay in character.
‘A lot of those guys had to go home in ways that they didn’t come. But naturally, that’s what happens when you deal with Kevin,’ he joked.
‘The thing with me is I’m a trained assassin, naturally. So, suppressing that while filming is the true job at hand – because martial arts is my first love. In this case, Cyrus didn’t know martial arts, so I had to take that back.
‘But there was a couple of times where it came out in rehearsal, and I ended up getting some guys. “Did I kill that guy?” I don’t think I [killed him] but there was a thing where he couldn’t breathe, so we had to get him back to life.
‘That was a scare and that’s when I told people, “My hands are weapons.” That’s when I let the stunt guys partake in what they were supposed to do.’
Kevin is well-known for his comedic side and has spent much of his time in the spotlight making us laugh, thanks to stints comedies including Central Intelligence, Ride Along and Me Time.
However, with Lift, he ignored the giggles and went straight into his villain era, and clearly relished the opportunity to be slightly 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 available to stream on Netflix now.
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