David Grutman
Courtesy Groot Hospitality
Don’t worry. David Grutman isn’t giving up his day job. His night job, either.
The hospitality giant — who owns such hot spots as LIV, Komodo, Papi Steak, and Gekko with Bad Bunny — almost had a walk-on role in this summer’s Netflix hit “72 Hours.” Key word: Almost.
The streaming flick stars Kevin Hart as Joe, a senior ad exec who somehow gets included in a group chat with a bunch of 20-somethings. Plot twist: Joe ends up tagging along with the Gen-Zers for a crazy bachelor party weekend in Miami.
Parts of the “Hangover”-style comedy were filmed around the Magic City last summer. In one particularly zany scene that was teased to the public, Hart (OK, his stuntman) hops on a pink stretch limo zooming around the Brickell area.
WARNING: CLIP CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE
Over the weekend, Grutman shared a snippet of what was to be his big moment on Instagram. Interest was high; the post got about seven million views.
Dressed in signature black and surrounded by a film crew yelling “Action!” Grutman approaches Hart’s character, who is on the ground dazed and disheveled from a wild night out.
“Ricardo Montana!?” an impressed Grutman says to Joe, whose Scarface-esque alter ego emerged after taking drugs. “Legend!”
As Hart staggers away, Grutman yells back, “See you at Komodo!”
Alas, although this interaction is pretty hilarious, our guy was edited out of the final product. “Hollywood can be a cruel place,” the married father of two joked in the caption.
“My acting was a 10 out of 10,” read the text over screen. “But I didn’t make the cut.”
It’s unclear why Grutman’s cameo was not included, but he told the Miami Herald he has some idea.
“I was a little stiff,” the impresario admitted, adding, “But I’m staying humble.”
Grutman will keep on doing what he does best, running nightclubs, while keeping one foot in showbiz.
“There are other movies shooting in Miami so I’m in talks,” said the sometime thespian who had bit parts in 2016’s oil spill biopic “Deepwater Horizon” and 2020’s “Bad Boys for Life.” “I’m looking for character-actor roles.”
Despite ending up on the cutting-room floor, the “Take it Personal” author says the experience on “72 Hours” was amazing. The Naples native loved hanging out with the cast, which included Miami’s own Marcello Hernandez, who plays the wisecracking best man.
“He is having a year like nobody else!” Grutman gushed of the “SNL” comic who costarred in “Happy Gilmore 2,” had a Netflix special and just hosted the ESPYs. “He doesn’t have to say anything; he can just walk into a room and be funny. He’s the best.”
This story was originally published July 29, 2026 at 2:42 PM.
Miami Herald
Celebrity/real time news reporter Madeleine Marr has been with The Miami Herald since 2003. She has covered such features as travel, fashion and food. In 2007, she helped launch the newspaper’s daily People Page, attending red carpet events, awards ceremonies and press junkets; interviewing some of the biggest names in show business; and hosting her own online show. She is originally from New York City.