Many actors can probably recall that one part that they believed was going to be their big break, only for the role not to come through. The ultra-famous Kevin Hart is no exception, as he spent years trying to break through before landing the ensemble comedy Think Like A Man, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary . Before then, Hart was looking to the cast of '00s HBO series Entourage to be his jumping-off point. Given how huge the comedy at the time, it makes sense as to why he wanted a role that was up for grabs. Unfortunately, for him, things didn’t work out, even though he and executive producer Mark Wahlberg ended up working together years later on Netflix’s Me Time. With this, the comedian took it upon himself to humorously call out Wahlberg for not casting him in the comedy and reveal who he lost the role to.
When Kevin Hart auditioned for the HBO comedy, he'd had notable false starts within his career like college comedy Undeclared, during which he lived with co-star Jason Segel for months. From there, Hart sought to land the recurring role of Charlie Williams in Entourage. While having an in-depth and humorous conversation with Mark Wahlberg on his talk show, Hart to Heart (streamable with a Peacock Premium subscription), the comedian opened up about his audition for the beloved hit:
My manager calls me ‘Hey, they got a part. This part’s gonna run over about three episodes. They wanna see you. I go ‘Oh my god.’ I go read for [casting director] Sheila Jaffe. I come back; I got a callback. They call me back. I call my manager ‘Dave, they want me to come back.’ [He’s like] ‘That’s a callback. That’s good, dude. You got this.' [I’m like,] ‘Fucking right I got it.’
Given the actor's talent, one can understand why he'd be sure that he'd get the role. And of course, the skilled performer w more than confident that he would land it after hitting it off with the casting director. Unfortunately, he was in for a shock when he spotted rap star Bow Wow waiting in the audition lounge. While further discussing the moment, the Jumanji alum recalled seeing the rapper for the first time.
I’m big, I’m confident. I walk in the room, Bow Wow’s in the room. I’m like, 'What the fuck is Bow Wow doing here right now?' I’ll never forget it, Bow Wow had on a big jersey and a durag. 'What the fuck is Bow Wow doing here?' This part, I didn’t know you had to wear a jersey, nobody told me to wear a jersey, I came here wearing a regular t-shirt.
Kevin Hart doesn't really seem like the person who gets rattled easily, but it sure sounds like the wardrobe detail got him. And ultimately, it sounds like he did a great job when it came to the audition. However, the comedian soon realized that he might’ve lost the role to Bow Wow but kept hope alive for as long as he could:
I remember going in, I fucking kill. I leave [like,] ‘All right, see you later, man.’ I don’t know Bow Wow at the time. I’m walking out, I’m probably on the third step walking out. Bow Wow walks in the room all I hear is ‘Hey!’ What the fuck is going in there? Is he reading? I stay on the steps for a second, they’re dying, they’re going through the roof. He was reading with Kevin [Connolly]. All right, I don’t get a callback and I keep calling and I just remember watching Entourage and seeing Bow Wow do the scene and I was like ‘I lost the part to fucking Bow Wow.’
Kevin Hart may not have gotten the role but, years later, he was able to appreciate an aspect of the HBO comedy after meeting Mark Wahlberg. Hart knew that the show was based on Wahlberg and his real-life entourage, but it wasn’t until he collaborated with the actor that he actually got to see their dynamic up close. Apparently meeting the real people that the characters were based on “blew” the comedian’s mind. However, that didn't stop him from hilariously giving Wahlberg a few "F-you's" for not picking him.
It's interesting to think about how things would've panned out for the comic had he landed the part. At this point, I don't think he can feel too bad about it, though, given how things turned out. Still, I don't mind seeing him bust Mark Wahlberg's chops with a few good f-bombs.
I'm sure that's the kind of dynamic that had while working on the set of their new film (but not in the gym because Kevin Hart isn't keen on working working out with Mark Wahlberg.) Me Time is expected to arrive on the streamer sometime in 2022. Meanwhile, those looking to check out Entourage can watch the HBO dramedy by subscribing to HBO Max.
