‘Master Class’ Recap: Kevin Hart Says Humility & Persistence Led to His Success

Write Your Own Book.

Kevin Harts says he once had an audition at the Comic Strip, and it was life changing.

He auditioned for the owner, Lucien. Once his audition was over, Lucien takes him into his office and tells Kevin, “I think you should find another craft. I don’t think this is for you.”

Kevin was disappointed and quickly told his mentor Keith Robinson what Lucien said. Keith brushed it off and told him to head to another Comedy Club.

This was an eye-opening moment for Kevin because it taught him not to sweat setbacks because if he dwelled on them, he could miss a major opportunity somewhere else while he sulked.

However, he eventually became sought after the club later in his career after Lucien passed away. He was asked to perform there many times.

“The place that hated me became the place that wanted me the most.”

At the end of this story, Kevin says, “Nobody knows your future but you. You are in charge of your own book.”

Walk the Straight Path.

Next, Kevin speaks about being a teenager with a babysitter. Embarrassed by this, he told his friends that this person was his grandmother. He then tells a story about how he broke a window in a man’s car after he decides to join his neighborhood friends in their favorite pastime of throwing rocks at moving cars. His babysitter finds out and questions him.

However, she never told his mom about what happened and Kevin appreciated that very much and never broke her trust again. He promised her to “walk a straight path.” Kevin says that was the only mistake he made as a youth, and he made an effort to never get in trouble again.

“You got to give [trust] to get [trust]. I don’t want to make her feel like she made the wrong choices by not telling on me.”

At the end, Kevin says, “I made my one mistake. I will walk a straight road. The kids were doing something bad, I was right there on the front porch.”

Know When It’s Time to Quit.

Kevin discusses his time working at a shoe store in Philly. He speaks of his manager Alice, who was a lesbian. Eventually, his manager and coworkers would see his personality shine as they went to clubs in the city. They also told him he should do comedy.

He eventually was able to do an amateur night at a club he went to with his coworkers.

He would keep going back every week and would keep winning amateur night, which began to line his pockets with prize money.

He eventually kept winning amateur night and decided to quit his job. Alice told him it was the right decision. However, when he quit his job, the amateur night stopped.

“Well ain’t this a b*tch?”

Turn a Negative into a Positive.

“I think there is a positive in every negative. I don’t care, I live by that.

“People get hung up on anger, and what I’ve learned is time don’t stop. Time don’t stop when you get an attitude. Time don’t stop while you cry. Time don’t stop while your heart hurts. Time does not stop.”

He then talks about the time when his mom kicked his dad out of the house. Although his dad promised he and his older brother that he would spend time with them on the weekends, his dad wouldn’t show up half of the time. “It was always a hit or miss, you still love your dad.”

Then when he was 15, his brother tells him that his dad is on drugs.

He uses his experience being a son to his dad to help him be a father to his kids. “I feel like I am a great dad. I am a great dad because I know what it’s like not to be a great dad.”

He also says nothing beats the relationship you have with your kids, not even career milestones.

First One in, Last One out.

Kevin speaks about meeting his mentor Keith Robinson. He met him at the Laff House in Philadelphia. Keith tells Kevin, “If you want to learn more about comedy, meet me at 12:00 pm stupid.” Kevin did just that and ended up commuting to New York almost daily to perform at various clubs.

Kevin said New York wouldn’t book him if they believed if he didn’t live in New York. “I had to be the first one in and the last one out.”

The other comedians, including Chris Rock, would test him to see if he had thick skin; “Comedy hazing” is what Kevin called it and it helped the other comedians determine if Kevin had what it takes to succeed.

Kevin compared it to Daniel-San waxing Mr. Miyagi’s car in “The Karate Kid.” Kevin didn’t realize it at the time but that testing from the other comics helped him stay persistent and overcome rejection.

“The prescience paid off. Eventually, you will crack through. It may not happen in a day… but eventually if you stay true to what you’re doing, you’re gonna win.” Kevin said as he was able to get booked in multiple clubs in New York and grow his fan base.

“Ima give it 100 percent or I’m going to give it nothing.

Be Different to Get Different.

Kevin reveals he got married at age 22. He says he was “too young.” He and Torrei were “Community-College sweethearts.” Kevin says they didn’t work out for multiple reasons, including the fact that they always fought and Torrei didn’t like him being out at all hours of the night. He says he got caught up in a “fast paced lifestyle.” They were also immature in his eyes and he learned he “was not ready for marriage.”

As a result of growing up, he and Torrei are able to co parent successfully, and his current marriage is good. “She got Kevin 2.0.”

Stay Busy.

Kevin then speaks about growing up in North Philly. He says although his neighborhood was rough, his mom keeping him busy helped. “She didn’t want me with any time on my hands.”

His mom had him on swim teams from elementary school throughout high school. As a result of this, he had a strict schedule that did not give him time to get into trouble. He had practice before and after school. “It was a continuous routine that couldn’t be broken.”

He didn’t realize how good of a blessing his mom keeping him busy was until he got older. “You don’t know how smart your mom is until after the fact. I am lucky to have a mom that cared for me as much as she did.”

As a result of this, he is a staunch believer of staying busy.

Accepting Reality.

Eventually, his father checked himself into rehab and got clean off of drugs. However, at the same time, his mom got sick. He and his brother learned she has cancer.

“So as this man is getting better and better, my mom is getting worse and worse, but she didn’t want us to know.”

His mother, Nancy Hart, knew she was very sick but tried to self medicate. By the time she finally went to a doctor, she was told she had waited too late and the chances of curing the cancer were slim.

Kevin accepted the reality of his mom eventually passing away. He didn’t not want his mom to see him sad about it. “We chose the high road.”

Kevin made the most out of his last moments with his mother. He made sure their final memories together were happy and he kept sadness at bay.

Now, Kevin is the one keeping the family together as his mom did before she passed away.

Find Your Story.

Kevin Hart didn’t have much success at first with movies. Kevin says his success had been only within the past 4-5 years. However, every TV show they gave him a role on got cancelled.

Eventually, he landed the lead in Soul Plane. However, Soul Plane was a major flop thanks to the bootlegging craze.

“Soul Plane was the biggest bootleg movie in history. The bootleg came out 6 months before it came out.”

He then tells a story of how a fan asked him to sign a bootleg version of “Soul Plane” that had the new ending for the movie. Kevin found the positive behind this negative by seeing an increasing amount of ticket sales for his comedy shows. “People had something to associate me with.”

At the end, Kevin says, “The easy road out is not always the best road. A lot of people frown upon the s*** they go through in entertainment. If you just make it, what’s your story?”

Kevin believes struggles are what makes people appreciative of their success.

Make Them Come to You.

As a result of his growing fan base, Kevin got on the road and toured. “I collected emails and collected data. So every time I come back and shoot out emails saying, ‘I’m coming back,’ crowds grew.” Now, I’m selling out.”

Kevin also changed his strategy for standup. He decided to just be himself. “I figured out I could talk about me. For a while, I was somebody else.” Comedy became easier for him. By the time he was doing his “Laugh at My Pain” tour, studios began reaching out to him again.

By being himself, he was able to find his voice and have things work for him.

Don’t Give Up.

Kevin then speaks of the time he met Will Packer. Will Packer is a movie producer who eventually hired Kevin for the movie, “Think Like a Man.”

“He’s different and doesn’t seem like anybody else. If I am going to gamble on this movie s***, why not gamble with [Will]?”

“Think Like a Man” was successful and he got the role for Will’s other film, “Ride Along” with Ice Cube. “A comedian’s goal is to do an Action-Comedy.”

He once again reiterates the importance of persistence,

“Everybody’s journey is different but you can find levels of success on that path, if you are willing to keep digging.”

Remember Everyone.

Lastly, Kevin tells viewers to remain humble in their journey. “Hollywood throws you a lot of curve balls. The lessons I’ve had in Hollywood gave me a good prospective. Hollywood is fake.”

Kevin also says that the success you have in Hollywood can go away quickly. “The way you treat people on the way up is important. Should you fall, you will encounter those people again. So you want them to have good memories to associate with you.”

What are your thoughts on the episode?