Kevin Hart might not seem like the first choice to play a soldier in a Borderlands film, but that’s exactly what attracted him to the role of Roland; the actor going so far as to train with Navy SEALS in his prep, while also taking a close look at the world to really understand it.

Diving head-first into all the action, Hart tells Supanova it was all about “truly embracing” the game and its following.

“It’s the origin stories, it’s understanding who the characters are, and also understanding the idea that the fan base may have attached to them, and us knowing where we can turn and tweak accordingly,” he says.

Kevin Hart as Roland in ‘Borderlands’. Photo Credit: Murray Close

“And the idea of making Roland Kevin Hart, that was a strategic one because people would expect it to be one thing because of Kevin Hart being involved, but ultimately, when they see it and walk away, they’ll quickly see that it’s [something else].

“So, for me, it was all about the training. It was about showing up ready, showing up in shape, and showing up with an understanding of how to handle weapons, how to prepare or be prepared for combat in a movie scenario. I took private classes, did a lot of weapons training so that when we got to the world of stunts, what they saw was that I was extremely above what they probably thought that I would come in as. And I think it just made it a lot better.”

Directed by Eli Roth and based on one of the best-selling videogame franchises of all time, Borderlands follows Lilith (Cate Blanchett), an infamous treasure hunter with a mysterious past, who reluctantly returns to her home planet of Pandora to find the missing daughter of Atlas (Edgar Ramírez).

It’s on Pandora she forms an unexpected alliance with Kevin Hart’s Roland, “feral” pre-teen demolitionist Tiny Tina (Ariana Greenblatt), Tina’s protector Krieg (Florian Munteanu), scientist Tannis (Jamie Lee Curtis) and robot Claptrap (Jack Black).

Taking on such an action-heavy role lived up to Hart’s expectations and it’s something he’d be interested in doing more of.

Cate Blanchett as Lilith, Ariana Greenblatt as Tiny Tina, Kevin Hart as Roland, Florian Munteanu as Krieg and Jamie Lee Curtis as Tannis in ‘Borderlands’

“Absolutely,” he stresses, “I mean, look, it’s a lot of fun, but it’s also a lot of work. I just like checking all the boxes in my career of things that I’m able to do. And when you look at my resume now, there’s a variety, there’s a nice portfolio.

“Action-comedy to action to drama to just comedy to animation. There’s a period piece that I have coming out later this year. There’s a real nice mixture of opportunities that I’ve been able to embark on. So doing more of any of those is always welcome. It’s just about the right thing at the right time. So what ideas, what material is TBD, but the interest, of course, is 100%.”

As for Borderlands, Hart signs off by saying, “I hope [fans] realise that we tried our best just to stay as true to the game as we possibly could while at the same time merging with the concept of a movie.”

He adds: “And in a movie, you have to care, you have to understand that there has to be a through line, there has to be an end button. There has to be a result, right? And for a game that’s never-ending… we had to create what the end of this movie would be.

“And in doing that, you have to make sure that you create some exaggerated and/or heightened versions of conflict, right? That’s just how movies are made. So, finding that perfect balance, it’s sometimes a struggle. But when you do get there, it’s unbelievable for what you’ll get in return. I think we did a great job of getting there.”

‘Borderlands’ is in cinemas Aug 8

With only 92 days to go until Supanova Comic Con & Gaming’s milestone 100th event, grab your tickets to their penultimate 99th show in Adelaide, and Brisbane’s three-day extravaganza now via Moshtix!

LEAD IMAGE: Kevin Hart as Roland, Cate Blanchett as Lilith, Jamie Lee Curtis as Tannis, Ariana Greenblatt as Tiny Tina and Florian Munteanu as Krieg in ‘Borderlands’. Photo Credit: Katalin Vermes