Dame Dash changed Kevin Hart's life forever when he put him in ROC Films' 2002 hood classic, Paper Soldiers. During the comedian's recent appearance on Drink Champs, Hart explained that Dame gave him an opportunity of a lifetime which, in turn, helped catapult him into the world's highest-paid comedian.
Hart recalled Dame approaching him with praise after a stand-up set at Caroline's on Broadway. The Roc-A-Fella co-founder told Hart that he wanted to put him in a film off the strength of his comedy chops, though the comedian wasn't necessarily familiar with acting at that point.
"I never heard that. I don't know what the fuck that means... [He says,] 'give me your number. I want you to come to the office,'" Hart recalled Dame telling him.
Hart, being a Philly native who was rather green to the industry, explained that he was only getting to New York through a Greyhound, a train, or a ride from someone else at the time. However, he was determined to make the meeting. Hart said that Dame broke down the premise of Paper Soldiers to him during the meeting, which eventually led the comedian to land his first acting role.
"They end up making the movie and the movie becomes a fucking hood classic," he explained to the co-hosts. "That movie gave me my first tape that could be my reel. I only got my manager because of Paper Soldiers."
Elsewhere in the interview, Kevin Hart also discussed the tension between fellow comedian Chris Rock and Philadelphia native Will Smith. He told the hosts that he thinks Will Smith will recover from the infamous Oscar slap while encouraging others to stay out of their business.
“People make mistakes, and from mistakes, they should be allowed time to recover. And that this is no longer the world’s problem. It’s Will and Chris’ problem, and let them deal with that. The world should step out of it,” he said.
Check out the full interview below.