Preloading

Why Kevin Hart Actually Appreciates the Box-Office Flop of His First Big Movie

Season 6 Episode 601
Aired on 06/10/2017 | CC tv-pg
Many actors harbor nothing but contempt for bootleg versions of their projects, but Kevin Hart isn't one of them. In 2004, Kevin starred in one of his first big Hollywood roles in the movie Soul Plane, which he believed would be the film to finally launch his acting career after experiencing several setbacks. In reality, however, Soul Plane fell victim to bootleggers and was leaked six months before its official release.

Box-office numbers ended up being dismal, but Kevin points out that there was an unexpected benefit that arose from the disappointment. "My comedy club numbers start going up," he says. "Even though nobody went to go see the movie in the theaters, everybody had the bootleg. So, now my comedy fan base is getting bigger because now people have something to associate me with."

Kevin's success as an actor eventually caught up to his success as a comedian, with his films grossing more than $1 billion at the box office to date.

As Kevin says, the Soul Plane experience made him more confident to keep moving forward and overcome those obstacles on the path to success. "I wasn't afraid to take seven steps backwards to make one big step forward."

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