Spring Break
Q&A with Kal Penn and John Cho
Bryan Shettig
Issue date: 4/25/08 Section: ARTS & LIFE
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Q: "How is Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay" different from "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle?"
Cho: Well, first and foremost, I would say that this one, the new movie, has a plot….
Q: Are you comfortable with doing the sort of borderline gross-out comedies, and what do you think about that genre overall?
Penn: No I'm not comfortable doing that sort of stuff at all, which is why you do it as an actor. If you played characters that were similar to you all the time, it would be pretty boring, I think.
And I think the genre is fun, you know, I like movies overall. I wouldn't say I like one particular genre over another. I don't watch a lot of comedies, and I don't watch a lot of gross-out comedies, but then you'll have anomalies liked "Knocked Up," which I think is a great movie.
Q: How do you feel that the "Harold & Kumar" films deal with the issue of racial stereotypes?
Penn: Typecasting exists no matter what you look like, but certainly there is stereotyping that is more unique to Asian Americans or South Asian Americans.
I really like the way in which Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg [the writers and directors of "Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay"] totally deconstruct a lot of those stereotypes just with the use of humor, and I think that's great.
I think it's certainly a more subversive way of even dealing with stereotype. I'm not a big fan of people that preach too much or beat you over the head with it.
And the thing I really love about Harold and Kumar is that they're two all-American guys who are going on a journey, and along that journey you're able to deconstruct race in a very smart, witty way, but the movie is certainly not about that; it's just about two guys who you can relate to. Which I think is greatest statement of how far we've come with a film like that.
Q: Do you guys take personal credit for the resurrection of Neil Patrick Harris' career?
Penn: Yeah, I wanna take credit for it right now. No, I think Neil has talked about how Jon and Hayden's script and playing the part has opened up some other opportunities for him. What do you think, Cho?
Cho: Yeah, I think he's been open about that. I think that "Harold & Kumar," the first movie, allowed people to see him in a different light, and I believe he has said, "I don't think I'd be on How I Met Your Mother without "Harold & Kumar."
Penn: And I think he also said, "I specifically would not have been as successful as I am, were it not for the support of Kal Penn." I'm only kidding. I'm kidding, I'm kidding. I'm kidding.
Cho: I don't think he is. You guys, I know this guy, and he is not kidding. He is that boastful in real life.
He has to stand in the background when we film because his head is enormous. It's like a "Citizen Kane" cinematography trick.
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