Kevin Hart hopes the message of “letting go” in his new film really resonates with parents.
The American actor, 39, voices rabbit Snowball in animated film The Secret Life of Pets 2, the sequel to the first film released in 2016.
The film also boasts the talents of Modern Family star Eric Stonestreet, who voices a mixed breed Newfoundland dog called Duke.
Alongside Max, a Jack Russell Terrier – who lives in the same house as Duke, the animals face new challenges, among them a new addition to their family: their owner’s new baby.
The father of three told Press Association: “On a serious note, I think that the messaging of parenting is so important, that parents should take from this film which is really, really good, which is the letting go factor, I’m doing it now. I’ve got teenage daughters.”
He explained: “I can say that the letting go message that Max and Duke are struggling with, with the little baby, of not being overprotective, I’m just saying that you’ve got to learn, you’ve got to get out.
“It’s what I’m dealing with as a father now, my daughter is a teenager and she wants to go the movies with just her friends from school, and ‘Is it okay dad, if we just walk to my friend’s house? The walk! In the street? You wanna put your two feet in the street, one after the other, to go somewhere? Have you lost your mind? No, get your ass in the car.
“So, like I’m now letting go of everything… I’m trying.”
Hart made headlines earlier this year when he stepped down as the host of the Oscars amid a row over homophobic tweets.
The film also sees Harrison Ford making his animated debut, to voice a farm dog called Rooster.
The Secret Life of Pets 2 will be released in UK cinemas on May 24.