‘Things Got Out Of Hand’: Kevin Hart Gets Real About Gaining Weight Due To Chowing Down On Italian Food While Filming Netflix's Lift

Kevin Hart in Lift
(Image credit: Netflix)

Kevin Hart continues to go on a "forward trajectory" at Netflix with his comedy-heist film Lift. Made through his production company Hartbeat Productions as part of his major deal with the streaming service, Lift is about when a master thief is convinced by his ex-girlfriend and the FBI to pull off an impossible heist with his international crew. With the Netflix new release being filmed in Italy, the actor/producer couldn’t help chowing down a lot of delicious Italian cuisine that ultimately led to him gaining weight. 

Since Kevin Hart’s new movie was filmed in Italy, there were plenty of stunning views satisfying to the eyes and yummy food good for the palate. On the other hand, the Fatherhood actor spoke to USA Today about how conflicting it was being in a country with good food while shooting Lift, saying:

Things got out of hand in Italy. The food in Italy… I gained a little weight. There was a moment where I said, ‘I gotta pull back a little bit, because this is not gonna show up well on camera.’ The way Cyrus started out when we were in Belfast is not the way he’s ending when we were in Italy. [There was] a lot of pizza, pasta, pasta, pizza, pizza, pasta and wine. So making sure that you dumbed it down and operated in doses, that was something I had to make a priority.

Hearing Kevin Hart talk about his Italian food cravings makes me want a bowl of spaghetti. As an Italian foodie myself, I don’t blame him for the weight gain, as I’d probably do the same. But as the standup comic said, everything is about moderation and telling yourself to tone it down on portions. 

With the weight Hart gained posing as a challenge while filming Lift, it makes me wonder if he spoke to his “action star” group chat about it. He already confided in them about the latest injury he faced trying to race former NFL running back Stevan Ridley at a party. As they sympathized with the star’s injury and gave him recovery advice, I wonder what they'd tell the Netflix actor about how to survive craving the glorious food you’re surrounded by when filming on location.

Kevin Hart continued to tell USA Today that he found it in himself to get back on the treadmill. However, he said he exercised at a light speed due to his injury. This isn’t too surprising since the Ride Along actor continued going hard at workouts after his car accident injury. It’s easy to use eating too much food or getting injured as an excuse to stay away from exercising. Fortunately for the Hartbeat Productions founder, he knew the importance of taking care of yourself without overdoing it. Of course, we know those workout regimens won’t involve his former co-stars Mark Wahlberg or Dwayne Johnson tagging along to avoid exercise comparisons.

Kevin Hart may have gained some Italian food weight while filming Lift. but fortunately, he was able to find the willpower to slow down his portions and get back onto the treadmill. You can watch the American comedian and the rest of the cast in Lift pull off a challenging heist in Italy with your Netflix subscription

Carly Levy
Entertainment Writer

Just your average South Floridian cinephile who believes the pen is mightier than the sword.