HAROLD & KUMAR ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY
"HAROLD & KUMAR ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY"
Indian American, Kal Penn, and John Cho reunite for a hilarious new adventure in HAROLD & KUMAR ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY which opens in theaters across North America on April 25. The New Line Cinema release follows the popular 2004 hit comedy HAROLD & KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE which became a cult favorite with fans around the world. The new film will screen at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas on March 8 and at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival on March 15 before debuting in theaters from coast to coast at the end of April.
Directed by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, the new release stars Kal Penn, John Cho, Rob Corddry, and Neil Patrick Harris. HAROLD & KUMAR ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY marks the triumphant return of these two hilarious, slacker anti-heroes. Their last adventure found them traveling across country to find a White Castle hamburger in order to satisfy a weed-induced case of “the munchies.”
This time, the boys get themselves in trouble trying to sneak a bong onboard a flight to Amsterdam. Now, being suspected of terrorism, they are forced to run from the law and try to find a way to prove their innocence. What follows is an irreverent and epic journey of deep thoughts, deeper inhaling and a wild trip around the world that is as “un-PC” as it gets.
The young and talented actor and producer Kal Penn, whose real name is Kalpen Suresh Modi, was born on April 23, 1977 in Montclair, New Jersey. He is best known for his starring roles in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, National Lampoon's Van Wilder, House MD and The Namesake. Both of his parents, an engineer father and a mother who worked as a fragrance evaluator for a perfume company; immigrated from Gujarat, India to the United States much before Penn was born.
Penn is an alumnus of Freehold Township High School and The Fine and Performing Arts Specialized Learning Center for three years. He graduated from Freehold Township High School where he was active in the school's theater productions. He attended the University of California, Los Angeles where he double majored in Film and Sociology . While at UCLA, he was a founding member of the underground intellectual society, "6 South." Due to creative differences, the group disbanded but are currently considering a reunion. He also played a big role in the on-campus club, Sangam, which has also disbanded.
Penn's feature film debut came in 1998 in Express: Aisle to Glory.He has since appeared in American Desi, National Lampoon's Van Wilder, Malibu's Most Wanted, A Lot Like Love, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, Dude, Where's the Party?, Love Don't Cost a Thing, Superman Returns, National Lampoon's Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj, Epic Movie, The Namesake, and now in HAROLD & KUMAR ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY. Penn was featured in the The Lonely Island's rejected Awesometown MTV pilot music video, along with his friend Brandon Routh, who played Superman in Superman Returns.
Penn says that he chose the stage name Kal Penn (from KalpenSuresh Modi) as a lark: “Almost as a joke to prove friends wrong, and half as an attempt to see if what I was told would work (that anglicized names appeal more to a white-dominated industry), I put ‘Kal Penn’ on my resume and photos." His audition callbacks rose by 50%. Penn has stated that he prefers his birth name and uses "Kal Penn" only for professional purposes.
In January 2007, Penn appeared in the first four episodes of the sixth season of 24 as Ahmed Amar, a villain. Penn says he nearly turned down the role due to personal ethics, stating, "I have a huge political problem with the role. It was essentially accepting a form of racial profiling. I think it’s repulsive. But it was the first time I had a chance to blow stuff up and take a family hostage. As an actor, why shouldn’t I have that opportunity? Because I'm brown and I should be scared about the connection between media images and people's thought processes?"
Also in January 2007, he appeared in the spoof comedy Epic Movie as well as the television show Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, where he played a recognition-starved rapist and murderer. In May 2007, Penn received the Asian Excellence Award for Outstanding Actor for his performance in The Namesake . In fall 2007, Penn joined the cast of the FOX medical drama House as one of Dr. House's new fellowship applicants. According to E!, Penn has signed on as a regular on the show along with Olivia Wilde and Peter Jacobson and this was confirmed in the plot of the episode Games.
In spring 2008, Penn will serve as visiting professor of Asian American Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. He will teach a course titled “Images of Asian Americans in the Media”. Penn is also touring colleges to endorse Senator Barack Obama in the upcoming presidential elections. While visiting a college in Minnesota, Kal Penn signed the Think Outside the Bottle pledge.
Kal will forever be remembered for his hilarious role as “Taj” opposite Ryan Reynolds and Tara Reid in the comedy "National Lampoon’s Van Wilder." In addition, Kal starred in "Love Don’t Cost A Thing," and urban re-make of the 80’s hit comedy "Can’t Buy My Love," alongside Christina Milian and Steve Harvey. Kal was also seen in "Malibu’s Most Wanted" opposite Jamie Kennedy. Kal’s additional feature film credits include Eros Entertainment’s "American Desi" and Tom Huang’s "Freshman."
The talented artist says, he did have a tough time getting to where he is today. “There isn't very much encouragement for the arts among Indian-Americans. In fact, most Indian Americans tried to discourage me when I was growing up. That was particularly tough to deal with (the lack of community support), especially when I realized how hard it was out in the industry,” he says.
His favorite book is "The Namesake" and used to check into hotels under the pseudonym of "Gogol Ganguli", the lead character of the book. When found out that Mira Nair was making a film out of it, despite her having already cast an actor in the part, Penn lobbied for the role and eventually won it. He is the first Indian- American actor to have a successful career in mainstream Hollywood. Lives in same Los Angeles apartment building as director 'Leon Shanglebee'.
