Wanda Sykes has a funny reason for wanting to play Kevin Hart’s mother in his new animated series, “Lil Kev.”
“I get to yell at Kevin all the time,” she joked in an interview with CNN.
This humor is exactly what viewers can expect from the adult animated series, which is available on BET+. Though the show is based on Hart’s childhood in 1990s North Philadelphia, it has a grown-up, edgy sense of humor.
Hart explained that the idea for the show came from the humor in his household growing up. “As an adult, looking back on those times and remembering these stories, I thought, how funny would this be if I could tell it through this lens?” Hart said.
In the series, Hart plays a younger version of himself, with Sykes voicing his mom, Deon Cole as his uncle, Richard Jr., and Cree Summer as his best friend, Gerald. The show also features several celebrity guest stars.
Hart shared that Sykes was his first choice for the role. “There was never another option, I’m being 100% honest,” Hart said. “It was always Wanda, and I just hoped she was available.”
Sykes quickly agreed to the role. “The writing was brilliant. It has so much heart and is a love letter from Kevin to his city, his family, and his upbringing,” she said. “He gave these characters humanity.”
Both Hart and Sykes have experience in animated projects, and Hart enjoyed the creative process. “There’s so much fun in creating a character like this because your voice brings new movements and expressions to the animated character,” he said. “At a certain point, the cartoon figure really starts to have your mannerisms.”
Hart added that the character of “Little Kevin” reflects his childhood. “Just the looking up, always looking up at people, the reactions — it’s extremely funny when it comes to life.”
