Kevin Hart Credits Dwayne Johnson for Laughs in ‘Central Intelligence’

I take my hat off to you," Hart said of Johnson on "GMA."

ByABC News
June 8, 2016, 10:25 AM

— -- Kevin Hart and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson are teaming up in the upcoming comedy “Central Intelligence,” which pits the two stars as high school classmates reuniting 20 years later. What happens next is a lot of action and some unforgettable moments but funny man Hart is actually crediting Johnson for being the “comic relief” in this film.

“Normally I would trash DJ, but this time I’m going to take the chance to hit him with nothing but positivity,” he said on “Good Morning America.” “And this movie, what people have to understand is, Dwayne is the comedy. He’s the comic relief. I’m the straight man, and he did a great job of delivering the comedy. So I take my hat off to you. He carried the comedy in this film.”

Hart was responding to a surprise video message Johnson sent “GMA.”

“The one thing I want to tell you about ‘Central Intelligence’ is I am really good in the movie,” Johnson, 44, said in the video. “Kevin Hart, hey, he’s great, he’s charming and he’s going to make you laugh—fantastic. I, however, am really good in the movie.”

But his co-star wasn’t going to reply in his normal sarcastic tone. Instead, Hart took the high road because, after all, the entire movie has an underlying anti-bullying message.

“We wanted to address bullying but in a way where we weren’t forcing a message down people’s throat,” said Hart. “We wanted to do it in a unique way and throw some appeal and quality to it. And ultimately it’s a problem, but the best way to address the problem is with a sincere message. And that’s to communicate, tell people what’s going on in your life, ultimately believe in yourself, regardless of where you are in life, it can always get better. It doesn’t have to get worse, it can always get better. You have to understand that, and these are two characters who can show you that full-throttle.”

"Central Intelligence" hits theaters June 17.