Buddy cop movies are a staple of the action-comedy genre, pairing mismatched partners who must overcome their differences to chase down criminals. Director Richard Donner’s Lethal Weapon series is well-known for popularizing the buddy-cop genre, as Mel Gibson’s reckless cop and Danny Glover’s by-the-book officer made for plenty of mishaps and over-the-top action sequences. The 1980s/90s franchise went on to inspire a new wave of buddy cop films, including Rush Hour, Bad Boys, and Shanghai Noon.

More recently, the genre has evolved with hits like 21 Jump Street, The Other Guys, The Heat, and The Nice Guys. Among the modern entries in the genre, Ride Along carved out its own space thanks to the comedic energy of Kevin Hart, which paired hilariously with Ice Cube’s stoic intensity. With a $154 million global box office haul, Ride Along became a surprise hit, setting the stage for its 2016 sequel. However, the film’s production wasn’t without its challenges.

Kevin Hart Stopped Doing Stunts After Ride Along

Ice Cube Convinced Kevin Hart To Use A Double

Kevin Hart decided to stop doing his own stunts after witnessing a mishap during one of Ice Cube’s action scenes in Ride Along. The buddy cop comedy follows Hart as Ben Barber, a high school security guard. To prove himself to his girlfriend’s tough older brother, Ice Cube’s James Payton, Ben joins him on a 24-hour ride along with the Atlanta Police Department. Directed by Tim Story, Hart and Ice Cube’s chemistry was the heart of Ride Along. The film received several award nominations, including a 2014 MTV Movie Awards nomination for Best On-Screen Duo.

In a recent segment of H๏τ Ones, Hart revealed he stopped performing his own stunts when Ice Cube accidentally landed a real punch in Ride Along, momentarily knocking out a stuntman. Given the film’s intense action sequences—including high-speed car chases, shootouts, and explosive confrontations with a dangerous crime syndicate led by the elusive Omar (Laurence Fishburne)—stunt work was essential in bringing Ride Along‘s adrenaline-fueled moments to life. Read what he had to say below:

We were doing Ride Along. Ice Cube punched one of the stuntmen in the face, real, on accident. And the stunt guy kind of knocked out for a second. And I was like, “Oh that can happen? Like we can actually get hit?”

And Cube, I remember, just hugging the stunt guy, being like “You’re gonna be alright. You straight. You straight.” He just started talking real fast, “You good. You good. You straight. You straight. You straight.”

The stunt guy is like, “No I’m alright.” You see his nose bleeding a little. I’m just sitting there observing and I’m like, “Hey, let my stunt guy get in here and do everything.” And from that day on, I stopped with the idea of wanting to do stunts.

But the energy that I used to have, the younger me, was like, “Throw me on the f—king table. Slam me. Go ahead. Just do it. Do one take so we get the real reaction.”

But now I’m 45. I don’t even want to run. I’m like, “Get Jay to do it.” Those guys don’t get enough credit, man. There should be stunt awards.

Our Take On Kevin Hart’s Ride Along Experience

Not Everyone Can Be Like Tom Cruise

After witnessing a co-star accidentally knock someone out, I wouldn’t want to keep doing stunt work either. Besides, Hart’s decision to step away from stunts hasn’t stopped him from bringing his trademark comedy to action-packed films like Central Intelligence and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. While Tom Cruise continues to push the limits well into his 60s, performing stunts in the Mission: Impossible franchise, most stars recognize the risks involved. Not everyone is built to scale skyscrapers and jump off cliffs, which is exactly why stunt performers in films like Ride Along deserve to have awards, too.

Source: H๏τ Ones