That Time BigFo Froze Up👀😂👀 Kevin Hart To 80 Grand One Helluva Week I Don’t Get Tired!

Biggest Game of my broadcasting career. SEC Primetime Saturday Night. Live from Columbia South Carolina. As BIG as this game was I couldn’t enjoy the process of digesting the magnitude of the upcoming Saturday night event because the game was occurring on the heels of the BIGGEST acting project, I had been a part of (some will say the Marvel thing was BIGGER, but this is Kevin Hart at the height of his SUPERPOWERS) to go along with my day job managing a multi-million-dollar account!

Most wouldn’t be able to tackle this task. BigFo Is Built Different………

In the acting business things can change extremely fast! One minute you can be HOT the next thing you know you're NOT! For every acting job there is the fitting. Big Guy problems 👀

I understood a long time ago I was a UNIQUELY built individual! The odds of a perfect fit are the majority of the time going to be a BIG NEGATORY! Many times, your favorite Big Guy was sucking it in breathing lightly not too much exhaling, can’t bust up out the outfit they have prepared for you, or they will politely move on (it’s always a backup on HOLD). Fitting is not the only thing. You’ve got to look good in the outfit, or shall I say more so look like what casting envisioned when they chose you for the project.

Had that one time that I opted to wear their shoes instead of mine!! My FEET hurt like hell just thinking about that damn Greenleaf shoot! That was that REAL pressure! BigFella was tipping on 4 4’s “Mike Jones” AHAHAHAHAHA! Don’t believe me go back and look when it was time for the BigFella to run to that truck my toe tips were on FIRE balled up in them lil baby shoes 👀! Definitely a hitch in the giddy getting to that SUV after running up on Basie in that liquor store! Clubber Lang PAIN!!!

I was so excited about that opportunity my first chance to work on a show. An opportunity to be on a show with one of my favorite actors Keith David (tried hard to randomly run into him while on set didn’t happen but crossed paths with the beautiful icon Lynn Whitfield and the Merle Dandridge (Black Girl Magic ✊🏿). This is the Oprah Winfrey Network, so we were going to do what we need to do to get it done. I probably should have said something about them damn shoes though. The Fo went COMMANDO! I was on my Rocky Balboa that whole damn scene in the middle of “June ATL Heat On Hell Day” Dressed In All Black Leather Like I’m The Damn Omen. They had to cut the air off every time we taped the scene for sound purposes! If you look at that scene you will see the sweat percolating! NO PAIN……….

There was REAL PAIN going on right here behind the smile

Back to Die Hart: The First Day Of Shooting:

I don’t usually freeze. BigFo has been able to lean with some legends. Truly Blessed. I’ve spoken about leaning with Shaq and having my Form Voltron moment. Had a form Voltron moment with Magic, Ewing and Mourning at the Essence festival (Hoya Love). Form Voltron moment when I became a MARVEL CHARACTER (yall boys out there secretly competing with me STOP IT in my Adrienne Balboa voice you can’t win 👀😂👀)! I have been blessed and HIGHLY FAVORED!!!!

When I got to set on day one, I was escorted to my area to chill and my assistant (yessir your favorite BigGuy had a personal assistant 😬) says hey Forrest you can chill and hangout here, Kevin will be on set shortly and we will get going. I was like cool. Then that WHOA moment started to kick in. They said that like this is some regular SHIT! Yeah, Forrest Kevin will be here shortly 👀!

Ten minutes later “hey Forrest Kevin’s here let’s get going”. I turned the corner, and the homie is right there! “Yo Moments” It was like I wanted to go ULTRA black and give him a bro hug a real dap up like yo what’s up fam (but use that other phrase we use to greet each other in the African American community my *****) AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I composed myself and shook his hand hey man nice to meet you brother looking forward to working with you! On the inside it was DEFINITELY a Form Voltron Moment!!!!!!!!

So, we get right to it. They get Kevin and I set up in the theater room we would be taping in. The director says let’s do a rehearsal run. Quiet on the set! And….. action. It was all so FAST! This was a scene with just Kevin and I (didn’t make the Final Cut DAMMIT MAN ☹️). Kevin speaks his lines, and I froze! BigFo Froze!!!! 👀. I just stood there. I was having a real Rod Tidwell soak it all up moment! It’s me and Kevin Hart (DAMMIT) in a scene chopping it up. FORM VOLTRON MOMENT SQUARED!!

Now let me set the scene for you. It’s more than 100 people on set probably 200! EVERYBODY is paying attention! EVERYBODY IS WATCHING and LISTENING! Security the Director, Producers Executive Producers fellow actor's stand-ins on set the WHOLE damn team and I just stood there! I had a FE Moment! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

I think Kevin knew I was caught up in the moment because he said and you say and looked up to me and said my lines for me. After that I was good but hey man 🤷🏿‍♂️ LIFE CAME AT ME FAST 😂😂

Probably one of the toughest things about this project it was September! September days in the A are HELL ON EARTH EVENTS! That ATL end of the summer BANG YOU OUT! Dealing with the HEAT was a psychological challenge. I had to channel my FSU Bobby Bowden two a day mentality to get through it! Coach Van Muscle Beach mindset!

The scene at the gate outside we were in the HEAT of the day shooting that part!

The thing is I’m the ONLY actor in the elements. Ben, Kevin and Nathalie are in the SUV now there were brief moments that they felt that pressure when we had to turn the car off for reads but for the most part they were in a controlled environment. The BigFella was in them ELEMENTS! The black shirt saved me from wring around the collar moments, but it also added an additional component of HELL SENT HEAT!

Every day I showed up to set I had additional lines to learn. I was learning on the job prepping for my football game between shoots and managing my account for my day job. Shoutout to Ben Schwartz. We were going through lines together daily✊🏿!

Coaches calls in my trailer and still being attentive to my day job! Multitasking like a Mother ********!!!

The last day of shooting was probably the MOST stressful. It was an overnight shoot. Call time 7pm Friday and I had a 8am flight the following Saturday morning! Only thing working in my favor was the game was in Columbia SC. God was working with the BigFella. My game assignment was close. Kickoff was late. Worst case scenario I miss my flight I will drive! Whatever the case we were going to be there one way or another!! I was Harlem shaking Friday night mentally preparing myself for an SEC game less than 24hrs later

One of the most difficult things about the SC game was I had to STAY IN THE MOMENT! I had been on set all week taping. While I was studying the new lines they were handing me daily I was also mentally prepping for the biggest game of my broadcast life. After taping on that final day until about 3am I had to rush home pack my bag take a shower and GENTLY rest my eyes. As much as I CRAVED sleep no way in hell I can allow myself to fall into a deep coma. I was not going to miss my flight. After a 30 catnap off to Hartsfield-Jackson. After touching down in Columbia the first thing I needed was to be TOUCHED (PAUSE) with some Starbucks I needed that GET UP! Time to study game notes and turn my full attention to college football.

When I got to my hotel which had a 3pm check in I had to incorporate my BigSexy with the young lady at the front desk. Went full Barry White “Baby Girl can a brother get his room early”. She happily obliged. I looked at my game notes for a good hour then MR SANDMAN started to set in and was like bro we need an hour or two! I was all set to grab that bucket of rest my body craved as the game approached and DAMMIT MAN, my broadcast partner threw a monkey wrench in my plan that up to that point had gone extremely well.

THAT DAMMIT MAN moment!

My broadcast partner calls and says hey Forrest let’s meet and go over game notes and the open. MAN FOH! AHAHAHAHAHA! As tired as I was I owed my guy that. You see it didn’t all the way workout during the week. There was that time I couldn’t make the coaches call. He handled that for us ✊🏿! I shared my questions and he asked them for me. He also shared his notes from the coaches call. That was BIG! REAL BIG 👊🏿!!! People don’t understand the dedication and time it takes to prep for a game weekly! He and I had never worked with one another so I really did need to go grab a meal and get to know my broadcast partner. A conversation about football would start to give me a cadence of his style and allow me to make sure we fed off of each other in an awesome manner.

Funny sidebar to the story. We are at South Carolina probably 30 minutes prior to kickoff! The stadium is JUMPING THEY ARE GOING OFF THAT SEC FOOTBALL ENERGY WAS PALPABLE!!!

I stepped away to grab a drink. As I’m walking back into the box, I see the SID speaking to my broadcast partner and he says to him who was that guy (referring to me)? My broadcast partner says I don’t know him 👀👀! So, I kind of clear my throat to acknowledge my presence and shake buddy’s hand thanking him for the hospitality and all of the game notes for this event and tell him good luck (identifying who I am 🙂). As soon as he walks out of the box y’all know me. I looked at my broadcast partner and was like damn bro way to throw me under the bus, I heard what you said. He was like what, what 🫤! Now during the back and forth between he and I the camera man is dying laughing because he heard it too 🤔! I laughed and left my guy alone though. Can’t have my broadcast partner rattled before kickoff but I definitely called him out on it. AHAHAHAHAHAHA

Outside of that small shenanigan buddy was really cool and great to work with. I recall after the game heading back to the hotel we were talking, and I thanked him again for the support and shared my Kevin Hart project work the past week. I could tell he was like yeah right 😂😂. It was a HELLUVA week but one of the MOST AWESOME weeks of my professional life!