Wanda Sykes revealed her amusing motivation for playing Kevin Hart’s mother in his new animated series, “Lil Kev.”
“I get to yell at Kevin all the time,” she quipped to CNN, emphasizing the appeal of the role.
This type of humor is central to the adult animated series, streaming on BET+. Despite being based on Hart’s 1990s childhood in north Philadelphia, the show’s comedy is decidedly mature.
Hart explained that the series draws inspiration from the humor prevalent in his childhood home.
“As an adult, reflecting on those times and recalling many of those stories, I thought, ‘How funny would it be to portray this through animation?'” Hart said.
The show features Hart as his younger self, Sykes as his mother, Deon Cole as his uncle Richard Jr., and Cree Summer as his best friend, Gerald, alongside various celebrity guest appearances.
Hart stated that Sykes was always his first and only choice for the role.
“There were no other options, I’m being completely honest,” he said. “It was always Wanda. We were just hoping she was available.”
“It was an immediate yes for me,” Sykes responded.
“The writing was excellent. It’s a heartfelt tribute from Kevin to his city, his family, and his upbringing,” she added. “He gave these characters humanity, which is often missing in portrayals of similar urban settings.”
Both Hart and Sykes have prior experience in animated projects.
“Creating a character in this format is so much fun because your voice brings new movements and expressions to the animated figure,” Hart explained. “The cartoon character really starts to adopt your own mannerisms.”
“Little Kevin is very much like me as a child,” he added. “The constant looking up at people, the reactions, the ‘Huh?’—it’s incredibly funny when it comes to life.”
