Dwayne The Rock Johnson’s ‘heart stopped’ when he heard about his friend Kevin Hart’s car crash.
The Jumanji: The Next Level star struggled to catch his breath when he found that his co-star and close friend needed to have emergency surgery on his spine following the collision.
Back in September, the car Hart was travelling in flipped and spun off the road nearly killing him.
Best buds: Dwayne The Rock Johnson said his ‘heart stopped’ when he heard about his friend and Jumanji co-star Kevin Hart’s car crash in September
Speaking to journalist Kevin McCarthy, Johnson, 47, said: ‘His situation could’ve gone another way. He knows that, we know that.
‘When I heard the news, my heart stopped and I lost my breath. Kevin’s one of the good ones, he’s a good egg.
‘So I’m really proud of not only his ability to overcome, but we’re here, we’re in Cabo [promoting the film], we made Jumanji. Life is good. I’m happy that he’s here.’
Johnson was over the moon when he saw Kevin for the first time after his accident and they discussed how the 40-year-old comedian’s outlook on life had changed.
‘When I heard the news, my heart stopped and I lost my breath. Kevin’s one of the good ones, he’s a good egg. ‘So I’m really proud of not only his ability to overcome, but we’re here, we’re in Cabo [promoting the film], we made Jumanji. Life is good. I’m happy that he’s here.’
He recalled: ‘We hugged, we had a real strong conversation when he finally came back, face to face, about what this meant and how it had changed him.
‘It’s almost as if life and the universe takes this shade and lifts it from your eyes and you view the world a different way. It’s really beautiful.’
Kevin – who has Heaven, 14, and Hendrix, 12, with his ex-wife Torrei Hart and two-year-old Kenzo with his current spouse Eniko Parrish – appreciates life more now.
He explained: ‘It’s not about not working the same and not having the same level of hustle or energy in my profession, but being present to the ones around you that matter most is more of a priority now.
‘We hugged, we had a real strong conversation when he finally came back, face to face, about what this meant and how it had changed him,’ The Rock said of his friend Kevin Hart
The level of appreciation for life is extremely higher, because you do kind of take it for granted.
You do bypass the fact that things don’t have to be the way they are, that they could change like that.
‘So when you have an experience that shows you that, you understand what that is and what it was and you make being present matter most. For me, that’s the new version of myself. I’m happier now.’
Along with Dwayne and Kevin, Jumanji: The Next Level stars Jack Black, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas and Alex Wolff who are reprising their roles from the previous film, along with newcomers to the franchise Awkwafina, Danny Glover, and Danny DeVito.
It opens in theaters December 13, 2019.
Back on his feet: After a scary few weeks, Kevin is back on his feet and promoting his new movie Jumanji: The Next Level which co-tars The Rock, Jack Black, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, Alex Wolff, franchise Awkwafina, Danny Glover, and Danny DeVito (Pictured November 11)