Image via Complex Original
Kevin Hart has been steadily taking over the game. The comedian's been doing solid stand-up for years, but movie producers are finally realizing what good comedic relief can do for a movie. And now, he's starring in movies like About Last Night, a rom-com where he's got top billing, and the action comedy, Ride Along.
It's a fact now: No one doesn't like Kevin Hart—award shows want him and talk shows want to interview him. Which made us think, who's going to be the next comedian that steals our little hearts on the big screen? We're betting on these 15 actor-comedians.
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Chelsea Peretti
Known for: Stand-up comedy, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
You'll have to excuse our current fling with Chelsea Peretti. We're a bit obsessed. Her character, Gina, the civilian administrator on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, is kind of our favorite thing about the show. She's sarcastic, she's in a dance troupe called "Floorgasm," and she's every bit hilarious on the show as she is in real life, both in her stand-up and her renowned Twitter account.
Nick Thune
Known for: The Tonight Show, Comedy Central Presents
Oh, beautiful, beautiful Nick Thune. No dude should be funny and good looking. It's just not fair. We suspect that after his stand-up airs on Netflix on February 18th, he's going to have a lot of offers for pilots and indie films.
Baron Vaughn
Known for: Fairly Legal
A lot of comedians are funny people who don't really translate well into pre-recorded stuff like TV and film. They live off of a live audience. The greatest exception right now is Baron Vaughn. He's a classically trained actor, who just happens to be a comedian as well. How many comedians can boast about being on Law and Order? Because that shit is serious.
Chris Gethard
Known for: The Chris Gethard Show, The Heat
Public access television shows are always way too weird to be taken seriously and for the most part, you just feel really bad for the people on them. What an embarrassment? How do they live with themselves?
With self-deprecating humor, however, Chris Gethard has made himself a well-known comic instead of a weirdo with a camera on his show The Chris Gethard Show. The attention has gotten him small spots in movies like The Heat, where you can see him try to flirt with Sandra Bullock at a club, and shows like Broad City. Gethard gets stuff done, and we're kind of expecting a self-penned indie feature soon.
Lauren Lapkus
Known for: Are You There, Chelsea?, Orange is the New Black
Lapkus is secretly infiltrating all of your comedy favorites: Orange is the New Black, The To Do List, and for the middle-aged and above women of our demographic, Hot in Cleveland. And there's no stopping her.
Soon, she'll be the quirky sidekick in a cop movie. Then she'll move onto the quirky best friend in a rom-com. Before you know it, she's there, in every movie you watch.
Hannibal Buress
Known for: Stand-up comedy, The Eric Andre Show, Broad City
We get it, you don't have a lot of time to watch all the stand-up acts out there. However, if you could only catch one, then please let it be Hannibal Buress. Sure, that first name is pretty intimidating, but the guy is hilarious. His stand-up screams the best-of-the-best of the NYC scene.
These days, he's a regular on Broad City, but if you're ever in New York you can still see him hosting Sunday night stand-up at The Knitting Factory in Brooklyn.
Jon Daly
Known for: The Kroll Show, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
You may not know him by name, but you've most likely seen a lot of Jon Daly's work. He's a regular on some of the best Funny or Die sketches, has appeared on Parks and Recreation, and is a regular actor/writer for Kroll Show. And he's not to be confused with equally hilarious, but for different reasons, binge-drinking golfer John Daly. It won't be long until you see Daly starring alongside someone of Will Ferrell's stature in the next box-office-topping comedy.
Issa Rae
Known for: Awkward Black Girl
Our attention can't be held for very long. If our buddy sends us a YouTube clip that's longer than 30 seconds, sorry dude, we've got stuff to do. But Awkward Black Girl is the only webseries we constantly watch, with most episodes clocking out at over 10 minutes. A lot of that has to do with the writer/actor Issa Rae. She's currently in the process of penning and starring in her own HBO show, Non-Prophet.
Aisling Bea
Known for: Stand-up comedy, 8 Out of 10 Cats
Irish comedian Aisling Bea has everything it takes to be the next comedic movie star making bank. She's hilarious, quick witted (watch her improvise a five-minute set right on the spot), gorgeous, and swears like an Irishman in a pub. She's just needs more publicity in the states. Let's start right here.
Bill Burr
Known for: Stand-up comedy, Breaking Bad, The Heat
This dude has been active in the stand-up community for years, so it's kind of hilarious that he's still being pinned as "comedy's future," and that he still doesn't get the attention he deserves. He's probably one of the most prolific white-dude comedians out there. Chances are, you've seen him playing one of Saul Goodman's lackeys on Breaking Bad, or alongside Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock in The Heat, playing a typical Irish-Catholic from Boston to perfection.
James Adomian
Known for: The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Stand-up
If you listen to any comedy podcast, then you've probably heard one of James Adomian's spot-on impersonations. Truth be told, we're a little bummed George W. Bush couldn't run for more than two terms was because we didn't want to miss out on Adomian's impression on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.
His stand-up is littered with other great impressions, hilarious personal stories, and the struggle of the LGBT community, like the archetypal gay villain.
John Mulaney
Known For: Saturday Night Live, Comedy Central Presents, Kroll Show
You've got to give it to John Mulaney—he's a bit of an unsung hero in comedy. He wrote for SNL and, along with Bill Hader, created the fan favorite Stefon character. Add that to his hilarious stand-up, soft boyish charms, and scene-stealing appearances on Comedy Central's Kroll Show and you've got a comedian worthy of a pilot.
Speaking of which, Fox has picked up his semi-autobiographical sitcom, Mulaney. Because that network knows what's up.
Echo Kellum
Known for: Ben and Kate, Sean Saves the World
We're a big fan of Echo's stand-up and he even shows off his acting on Sean Saves the World, if you don't mind watching cheesy family sitcoms. He's been acting since he was 13, so we guess we shouldn't call him an overnight success. People just haven't been paying attention.
Bill Hader
Known for: Saturday Night Live, Superbad, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, Paul
Bill Hader is a master of impersonations and it still feels like a huge loss now that he's left SNL. We actually hoped he'd go the Darrell Hammond/Tim Meadows route and stay for ten years, but Hader obviously has more important things to do. Like become a film MVP.
Hader has killed it in a number of bit movie roles, playing an editor in Knocked Up, a reckless cop in Superbad, and a stoned solider in Pineapple Express. Yet, besides his voiceover work, he's never really had a feature film to star in, but that won't last much longer. There's talks of him starring in a slasher film he wrote himself, produced by Judd Apatow, and at Sundance last month his first dramatic lead role, alongside Kristen Wiig, in the indie The Skeleton Twins was one of the festival's best-reviewed premieres.
Amy Schumer
Known for: Inside Amy Schumer, Girls, Amy Schumer: Mostly Sex Stuff
Amy Schumer is refreshing. It's not because she makes dirty-as-hell sex jokes, but because they're actually funny. It's not a gimmick with her. It's not like, "Oh, look at this blonde white cherub, what does she have to say—OH MY GOODNESS!" It's not for shock value. That's just her sense of humor.
Schumer is disgusting, and delightful, and probably the best part of Comedy Central Roasts nowadays. She's already gotten her own show, but after seeing her kill it on her bit role on Girls, we want to see her in more character work.
About that silver screen stardom: She's already been tapped by Judd Apatow to star in his next feature film.
Jenny Slate
Known for: "Marcel the Shell," Saturday Night Live, Parks and Recreation, The Kroll Show
During her debut sketch on SNL, Slate dropped the F-bomb and was let go—not exactly the best first impression ever. Because of that, she was let go, which is probably the worst thing that could ever happen to an up-and-coming comedian.
How does one recover from that? Easy, you move on to bigger and better things. Slate's made a name for herself as the creepster Mona-Lisa in Parks and Rec, and totally deserves her own show with Nick Kroll dedicated to their recurring Kroll Show sketch "PubLIZcity."
And she's well on her way to movie stardom. At the Sundance Film Festival last month, Slate's first leading role in the indie abortion comedy (yup, that's what it's about) Obvious Child received rave reviews. The film will hit theaters in June, and should have casting directors blowing up her iPhone.