Kevin Hart is giving Nate Parker his support. Before Parker’s movie The Birth of a Nation raked in $7 million its opening weekend, much of its success hinged on the fallout over his rape scandal. But Hart plans to see the film regardless.
During an appearance on The Breakfast Club, Hart shared he “definitely” wanted to watch the Nat Turner biopic. Then, he credited Parker for getting the project off the ground.
“Shouts out to him. Produced, wrote, directed. [He] faced the public attempt to, I guess you could say – destroy his character. From bringing up stuff from the past when he’s got the project of his life on the line – to sit, face it, stand and say ‘I beat that. To bring it up is weak of you. I stand by my work, I stand by what I’m proud of and you know what? I’m not gonna turn and steer away from it.’ I salute him, man. And he will get my support. I wanna see the film, support him.”
The radio show also asked Hart if the possibility of being targeted as a wealthy Black man made him fearful. But the comedian remained unfazed, focusing on reacting positively.
“I think at any point in time, you’re gonna face some BS,” he said. “And how you choose to face the BS that’s facing you is basically what’s going to determine the outcome of that situation. Anything can come up. I’ve already had things thrown at me, but it’s how you choose to face it. I think when you fire back with fire, you’re only gonna make a bigger flame, so it’s best to sometimes let stuff pan out. Your response just adds to whatever it is that’s going on.”
As for future efforts, Hart’s goal is to launch a subscription comedy network called “Laugh Out Loud Network.” He’s also setting his sights on the international movie market.
“I’m trying to break down major barriers [internationally] so that other actors – young actors, young actresses – coming up behind [me] will be able to take these projects over the border. I think it’s a bigger world out there.”
Watch Hart’s complete interview below.