Kevin Hart talks 'Die Hart,' won't pick a favorite between The Rock and John Cena: 'I still got projects for them both'

When we spoke to him in 2020 for the premiere of Die Hart, Kevin Hart admitted Hollywood doesn’t always take him seriously as an action star. It was one of the reasons Hart made the short-form action-comedy series for Quibi.

Three years later, the series returns – this time on a new provider, with The Roku Channel having picked up its rights in the wake of Quibi’s demise — with the new aptly titled season Die Hart 2: Die Harter.

And Hart believes he’s made progress. “I'm in a position where I get to develop an IP that embellishes the world of what Kevin Hart can't do, while simultaneously showing what I can do,” he tells us in a new interview. “And that's in the real side of entertainment, and then in the false reality side of parody that I'm able to expand on.”

Season 1 of Die Hart followed Hart, playing a heightened version of himself, attending a boot camp for wannabe Hollywood action heroes overseen by John Travolta’s maniacal instructor.

Season 2, again told in 10-15-minute increments, sees Hart pitching a revolutionary movie where the action is so unscripted and unexpected, the actor doesn’t know what’s actually real or not. He’s then unwittingly kidnapped and forced into exactly that scenario, where he finds out an ex-colleague is avenging revenge on him.

“Now we're in this false reality, and now we get to play while reacting in a manner that shows that this is now real,” he says. “But I didn't know that it was real. I thought it was fake, but they were using my pitch.”

Travolta does not return for Season 2, but co-star Nathalie Emmanuel does, while John Cena and Ben Schwartz join the cast.

Asked how he would compare Cena with another pro wrestler-turned-major movie star, his favorite trash-talking target and Jumanji castmate Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Hart wouldn’t take the bait.

“I don't think they're alike at all,” he says. “I think they both have unbelievable talent, but both of them approach comedy in different ways while both being good. They were in an environment [as wrestlers] where they got to be in front of a live audience week after week. That schedule is insane. So the reps, the practice, the training that they got over the years made them sharp and made them quick.

“In this case, with working with John, and seeing John operate in this manner, it only makes me feel more confident about his future being significantly bright. And I mean, DJ, the guy's as big as can be. But it's justified because they both work hard, which is dope as hell as well.”

Asked who’s funnier, the star replies, “Kevin Hart.”

Did he really forgo a golden opportunity to dunk on his verbal sparring partner Johnson?

“I still need ‘em both,” he says, laughing. "I still got projects for them both.”

Die Hart 2: Die Harter is now streaming on The Roku Channel.

Watch the trailer: