Kevin Hart is terrified of animals – that’s something his co-star from Jumanji has testified. The actor would rather use a green screen and CGI effects than go out in the world and meet various wildlife. The fear can be rational, though, since wild animals can be extremely dangerous.
Working on a Jumanji film can be really exciting because of the adventure that awaits, but it can also bring a lot of scary moments, such as confronting one’s fear of exotic fauna. Hart explained his aversion to animals saying if he doesn’t know what they are thinking, he can’t hang out with them.
Kevin Hart Gets Uncomfortable As Jodie Whittaker Shares Horrifying Wildlife Encounter
In an appearance at The Graham Norton Show promoting Jumanji: The Next Level (2019), Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson talked about their experiences filming with animals. They were joined by Doctor Who’s Jodie Whittaker, who shared a terrifying account on set:
“The South African crew had been filming what is known as a sac spider, crawling up and down out of this tree… no one told me, I’ve run out of the building, into the wilderness as this sac spider just crawled down on me.”
At the same time Whittaker was narrating her story, Hart seemed very uncomfortable and started shifting in his seat. Whittaker continued:
“Our first assistant director was pretty casual, they just picked it up and chucked it… And then we found out I could have died, it was horrific.”
In the same interview, Johnson revealed Hart’s fear of wildlife. The Get Hard actor defended:
“Stop saying fear. It’s not a fear. I don’t understand what you’re thinking about, so I don’t want to be around you because I can’t.”
The Black Adam star further shared that while filming for Jumanji 2, they got to ride camels in the desert:
“There’s a massive scene, we’re on camels. Kevin got to know his camel very, very well. Terrified of camels.”
Hart interjected, “Very racist camel,” and pointed out that only his camel was making noises on the set. For someone who is not entirely an animal lover, the Central Intelligence actor must have done a lot of preparation for his role in Jumanji 2.
Dwayne Johnson Loves Pulling Centipede Pranks On Kevin Hart
In another interview with Good Morning America (via Toronto Sun), Kevin Hart shared how Dwayne Johnson used to pull pranks on him while filming for Jumanji 2. The former wrestler was aware of Hart’s phobia, and his tricks caused a lot of filming disruptions on the set. Hart explained:
“DJ plays way too much. I don’t like insects, I don’t like animals. We were in Hawaii, in the jungle… They had centipedes all over the place. You get bit by one of these things, it’s over! They’re not poisonous or nothing, but in my mind, it’s over!”
He narrated how Johnson would put something in his ear, and Hart would scream: “Centipedes in my ear!” There were indeed a lot of centipedes in the location, and the prop guys had to come and get the creepy crawlies away from the actor as much as possible.
Jumanji: The Next Level is available on Netflix and Prime Video.
Sources: The Graham Norton Show 1,2, GMA via Toronto Sun
