Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson studied Kevin Hart’s comedy before they made ‘Central Intelligence’ together.
The 44-year-old ‘Fast and Furious’ actor stars with the 36-year-old comic in the action buddy film and became a student of his stand-up career to ensure they had great chemistry on screen.
He said: "I downloaded literally every (stand-up) album he put out. I remember starting to hear about his tours and how successful they were, and I was like, ‘Man, he’s really doing things.’ "
‘Central Intelligence’ sees Johnson play CIA agent Bob Stone who returns home for his high school reunion and reunite with his former friend Calvin Joyner (Hart), who now works as an accountant and gets caught up in his secret mission.
Hart’s character is bored with his job and life and he claims the movie is as much about self-acceptance as it is about action.
He said: "There’s the message of being comfortable with who you are and where you are in your life. The standards that we create and pressure we put on ourselves is sometimes overwhelming, and both characters have done that in some way, shape or form."
Hart – whose previous credits include ‘Ride Along’ and ‘Get Hard’ – also revealed he and Johnson were desperate to ensure the movie stands out from other buddy movies.
The 36-year-old actor told the USA Today newspaper: "There’s a real partnership that’s formed; it’s a unique ride. We tried to make it as fresh as possible in a day and age where every realm of buddy film has been done … My job was to get him to an area where he could not only be funny, but be safe. I had to have his back … You can’t teach funny. You either have it, or you don’t. And what DJ has is that, ‘I don’t give a s**t’ attitude.’ You have to have a fearless attitude to go in and take comedy risks when you don’t do comedy. It’s about confidence."
Dwayne Johnson studied Kevin Hart before shooting Central Intelligence
