US COMEDIAN Kevin Hart says he doesn’t want to be compared to Eddie Murphy or Richard Pryor.
The famous funnyman, whose new stand-up film Let Me Explain premieres in the UK tonight (Aug 30) at London’s O2, feels it’s “unfair” to liken a comic of his generation to those who preceded him, as many of those older performers are legends in their own right.
“I’m a work in progress and therefore, I don’t wanna be compared to the Richard Pryors and the Eddie Murphys and the Bill Cosbys – the legends before me,” Hart told The Voice.
“I don’t think that’s fair to those guys because they’re sitting on pedestals of their own. Those guys are comedic legends. I’m a guy for our generation, who’s achieving great things, and at the end of the day, I wanna be Kevin Hart.”
He added: “I shouldn’t be compared to those guys because I’ll never surpass what those guys have done. I have a very grounded perspective on life, on reality and on entertainment. So I know how to set my goals accordingly.”
Reflecting on the development of technology that benefits today’s entertainers, Hart, who starred in the 2012 comedy film Think Like A Man, noted: “Eddie Murphy didn’t have Twitter. Richard Pryor didn’t have Instagram! These are things we have now that enable me to reach my fanbase directly.
“Those guys didn’t have that. So it wouldn’t be right to say I’m gonna be better than those guys, because this is a different age.”
Let Me Explain opens in selected UK cinemas from August 31