FILM INTERVIEW: KAL PENN
‘A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas’ Frolics Iconic Cannabis Duo with Holidays
It has been seven years since Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle invaded theaters with pervasive humor and jolly-good-time laughs. With Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay demonstrating that the franchise had more than just iconic burger joints to make fun of, the door was left wide open for the stoner-themed franchise to keep itself going. This weekend, Kal Penn and John Cho return to the big screen again in A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas. And yes, the one colloquially known as “The Doog” but also referred to as “NPH” – that would be Neil Patrick Harris – is also along for the ride.
Mr. Penn -- who had most recently worked at the White House as part of President Barack Obama’s administration, and acted in films such as Van Wilder, The Namesake, and Superman Returns -- spent a few moments talking with Buzzine about what we can expect from A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas. The film invades theaters on November 4th and may be seen in 3D.
Parimal M. Rohit: When the first Harold & Kumar film came out, Indians, at that point, were considered squeaky clean. Today, the perspectives are different, and we see a broader range of personas. What are your thoughts on the transformation? Do you deserve some of the credit for that?
Kal Penn: The pop culture has viewed Indians as one-dimensional, but, in reality, every community has flaws, every community has insanity; they’ve got positives, they’ve got negatives, they’ve got their in-between. I think it’s good we are (finally) seeing well-rounded characters.
PMR: How does it look for Indian American actors being cast in mainstream Hollywood? Are we getting more?
KP: Oh, I don’t think we are getting more because of anything that I’ve done. I’m, after all, an actor. I think credit for the roles that we have all enjoyed recently should go to the writers and the studios. Something like Harold & Kumar -- John Cho and I have been fortunate to play these characters, but we didn’t write this. It takes a really good script to get somewhere.
PMR: With the gap between the second and third Harold & Kumar, did you find it hard to get back into character?
KP: The cool thing about these movies is that the plot of the first two was one right after the other, but there were about three years between the first and second films, and another three years between the second and the third. We love playing these characters. Kumar is so very different from me in real life, and that’s what I love about him. It’s like coming back and working with old friends again.
PMR: What was the biggest breakthrough or contribution the Harold & Kumar franchise made in Hollywood for Asian Americans?
KP: I go back again to my feelings about the writers, our studio, our producers. Before, you would not see a studio movie that had two Asian Americans as the leads.
PMR: Tell us about your progression into Hollywood. How did it all start for you?
KP: I studied theatre and film in college. Just like a lot of actors, I worked odd jobs. I was a project assistant working random office jobs, trying to pay my dues. I also chose to take roles that I thought were stereotypical, but also to have the experience on my resume. (Those experiences) were also coupled with the chance to do workshops and plays. I really look up to people who included me in some really great artistic (ventures).
PMR: When the first Harold & Kumar came out, it was very unique and quite a novel film. How has the franchise managed to stay fresh two sequels and seven years later?
KP: The one thing is we have the same writers that wrote for the first two movies. They were always consistently funny, and they always pushed the boundaries. I think the fact that it’s a Christmas movie gives us a lot to play with. Harold and Kumar are based in a very peculiar reality, where the characters are oftentimes filthy, they are oftentimes very heartwarming; you have that dichotomy going on. When you have that dichotomy, you can simultaneously celebrate the theme of Christmas, which is togetherness, friendship, and family – but you also have some pretty raucous jokes. The characters are also six years older than they were in Guantanamo Bay. They’ve settled down a little bit. Kumar is much more of a Kumar. He smoked a lot of weed between the six years since we’ve seen him, and now he is kind of down in the dumps. He hasn’t left his apartment in four weeks. His girlfriend left him. Harold is the exact opposite. Harold has given up smoking weed and is living in the suburbs and is married to his beautiful wife.
PMR: Speaking of keeping things fresh, will we see another Harold & Kumar?
KP: If (audiences) like it and it does well, we would love to do another Harold & Kumar movie. We love playing these characters; they are a lot of fun, and the community seems to enjoy them.
Warner Bros. Pictures' 'A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas' is released on November 4, 2011.
