I was recently given the opportunity to participate in a conference call with comedic legends Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart for their upcoming movie Get Hard. The film, which hits theatres March 27^th, follows the life of a millionaire (Ferrell) who is nailed for fraud and ends up in San Quentin prison. Hart’s character prepares him to face life behind bars.

What is a common misconception about the prison system that you learned through the making of this film that you would like to clear up?

Kevin: That in jail, they do use buckets sometimes to go number two. Cleared up.

As two very successful comedians, is there anything you learned from one another while working on the film?

Kevin: The work that I can say I’ve taken from Will is just his approach to his craft. As a very professional, very humble guy that really appreciates everything and is grounded. I think that’s why he’s in the position he is in today.

Will: Yeah, I think Kevin and I kind of share the same philosophy in the idea that we obviously like to have a good time, we’re so thankful to be doing what we are doing professionally, but at the same time we try to stay grounded and work very hard.

What was it like working with Etan Cohen, given that it was his first time directing?

Will: It was a great experience working with Etan. We surrounded him with a really good team in terms of a director and photographer, and all those key department heads, so he was allowed to focus on his strengths of monitoring the comedy. It’s a real benefit to have a writer as strong as Etan feeding you extra jokes and that sort of thing.

Kevin: From my side, I think I’ll go with what Will said. We got lucky; we got a guy who is a first time director but has been behind the camera and was protected with a team of producers who knew what they were doing. All in all, everyone helped each other. Etan’s confidence grew as the movie progressed and we got a final product because of it.

What pushed you guys to get on board for this movie?

Will: This was an idea that my friend and writing partner Adam McKay had for a long time. So we kind of generated the idea from our company. As we started digging into the casting, figuring out who would be great to pair up with, the first thing we started with was Kevin. We called him up, pitched him the idea. Lucky for us, he was into it, and he kind of helped right away in the development process of the script. That was how the whole project came together.

Kevin: That was good, Will summed that one up.

With your experience on set during Get Hard production, Will, do you feel that you are hard enough to survive in prison, and if so, what role would you play?

Will: I, unfortunately, don’t feel any more confident or anymore qualified that I could survive in prison, so my best strategy would be to not go. I don’t know what role I would provide, I would just have to act crazy to keep people away from me but they’ve seen that before.

If you had to team up again and remake a classic comedy, which one would it be?

Kevin: Turner and Hooch.

Will: Which I believe was Tom Hanks with a Dog.

Kevin: Yeah, and if you think you’re playing Hooch, you’re wrong, that’s my part.

Will: Okay, remake of a classic comedy? Kramer vs. Kramer.

You guys screened a big mainstream comedy at a festival that is usually devoted for smaller independent films. How does the atmosphere differ from what you usually get at premieres?

Kevin: I think the atmosphere we had at South by Southwest was amazing. That was one of the most energetic theatre crowds I’ve ever seen. From mine and Will’s introductions, to staying and watching the movie with them, it was unreal. In Hollywood it’s different because that’s what they’re used to.

Will: The talent industry, so to speak. When you take it out amongst the people, that’s when you get that authentic reaction.

Why is it important to have the ability to laugh about some of the serious social tensions you touch on in Get Hard?

Will: It’s a great way to explore our differences. Once you get through the chatter, you realize how similar we all are, and by examining through the culture of comedy you are able to point out how silly these attitudes are.

Kevin: Well, I can’t say it better than that.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.

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Photo Credit: Patti Perret