Jumanji stars Dwayne "The Rock"Johnson and Kevin Hart had a blast making and promoting the film. Photo / Getty
Jumanji stars Dwayne "The Rock"Johnson and Kevin Hart had a blast making and promoting the film. Photo / Getty
Kevin Hart has a question for Dwayne Johnson: As a younger man, would the human mountain known as The Rock worth an estimated $408 million have wanted to know how things would pan out?
"Dude I think about that all the time," Johnson replies. "No. Because when you don't know and you're hungry and you're driving, it's much better," he nods.
Hart agrees: "I would much rather not. It's much better."
The megawatt stars are holding court in London's Corinthia hotel surrounded by lights, cameras and people, about the release of their latest film Jumanji: The Next Level.
It's the sequel to Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, that is itself a remake of the 1995 Robin Williams original, set in New Hampshire about four teens who become trapped in a game with a mind of its own.
In the sequel, Johnson and Hart reprise their roles as Dr Smolder Bravestone and Mouse Finbar with Jack Black and Karen Gillan as Dr Shelly Oberon and Ruby Roundhouse.
The film is a sequel to the reprise of the 1995 Robin Williams original. Photo / File
This time, college student Spencer has returned home for the holidays in a funk and wants to feel the strength and power of being Dr Bravestone one last time.
Needless to say, the game is broken and chaos ensues. When Spencer's friends Fridge, Bethany and Martha are drawn into rescue him, so are a couple of unwitting extras in the form of Spencer's grandfather Eddie (Danny De Vito) and his best friend Milo (Danny Glover). There's also a new character Ming, (Awkwafina) and a return of Seaplane (Nick Jonas). Let's just say things don't exactly go according to plan.
While the sequel has stepped up the setting and challenges, the charismatic foursome at its heart is what makes it such rollicking fun – particularly Johnson and Hart who have dubbed their friendship their "other marriage".
They clearly had a blast making and promoting the movie, telling the world's press about the song that best describes Hart's life (Salt n Pepa's Push It) and how he would play "Honky Pete" in a superhero league - a guy whose USP is having "pockets" filled with gum, change and bus passes.
"Everything superheroes don't think they need," Hart joked.
The pair have plenty of public Instagram ribbing between them, including Hart posting a picture of himself dressed as Johnson for Halloween.
When asked if they have any "party tricks" Hart is quick to quip: "DJ can tie his balls in a knot ... Older guys have long balls."
"And without using my hands ... I shake my hips" Johnson instantly replies as they double over laughing.
So was there every a time these buffed and polished A-listers would return to if they could, Spencer-style? And what would they tell their younger selves about the road ahead?
"That's a great question," Hart replies, giving it some thought. "I'm gonna go with family on this one. Now as you get older you realise how fast time goes by. It literally doesn't wait for anybody. I remember when my first two were born and I'm looking up and I've got teenagers on my hands and maybe there was some times when they were younger if I could have held on to and embraced a little more."
"But time really does fly man, it's an amazing thing so anything around family/kids for me is what I would try to go back to and embrace."
The 40 year old, who is still recovering from a car accident in September that fractured his spine in three places, said he wouldn't change any of the mistakes he made as a younger man:
"For me, I think if I could talk to my younger self. I'd simply say all mistakes are good mistakes because you're gonna learn from them eventually, that's it.
"I don't want to change nothing. I don't want to stop young me from being stupid, you gotta be stupid to realise how to be smart."
For Johnson, 47, who has gone from being wrestling star The Rock to one of Hollywood's most bankable stars and even a potential US presidential candidate, times with family have been some of his best. But both he and Hart are loving every minute of life at the moment.
Jack Black and Karen Gillan play Professor Shelly Oberon and Ruby Roundhouse in the film. Photo / File
"Jokes aside, because we've obviously been joking on this tour the whole time but looking back at my younger self. I would tell myself that. I really would. I would tell myself, it's going to be OK, things are going to be OK. You may think things are hard now, times are tough but it's going to be all right. You got to hold onto faith."
Karen Gillan, who as Ruby Roundhouse gets to kick ass to the strains of Baby I Love Your Way said "dance fighting" is definitely the Jumanji-style skill she would employ in real life but would not want to return to the past, Spencer-style.
"I was riddled with anxiety when I was younger and now. I mean I'm a human we all have the neurosis and things like that," she said.
"If you don't then I'm convinced you're a robot or just completely oblivious which means you're not smart. Sorry to people that don't have anxiety."
Jack Black agreed, saying he didn't have any time he would go back and change things for.
"It went right the way it should have gone," said the star of King Kong and band Tenacious D. "Even the hard parts. I definitely wouldn't want to go back and do those again."
"This sounds spoiled but I've always felt like everything was just perfect...all the planets feel aligned to me."
