"Escaping" with John Cho

Cute actor John Cho stood out in the original American Pie film when he showed a particular attraction to Stiffler's hot mom! It was his portrayal of neat, ultra-smart but put upon office worker Harold Lee in the cult comedy Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle that made us feel warm and fuzzy about the underdog character and about John. Well, Harold is back in the sequel; the totally irreverent and politically incorrect (And Warning! Super R-rated) Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay.

John has done a lot of theater work to rave reviews and will next play Sulu in J.J. Abrams' new Star Trek film! We wanted the latest on "Trek" and how John feels about returning as Harold in his cult-film role with wacky Kumar (Kal Penn) at his side. John claims that, in real life, he's not that crazy about White Castle burgers and he's more like the outspoken, sloppy Kumar than Harold but today, for our interview, he is super dapper and handsome in black suit jacket, jeans, white shirt and tie.

John: [entering for our interview with his deep "announcer" voice] Hello! That is my stage voice.

TeenHollywood: Impressive! Have you and Kal developed a shorthand playing these characters since the first movie? Is it easier to work together?

John: Easier, probably because we're actually friends and, with the first one, we were concerned 'boy, we don't know each other and we're supposed to be best friends' and we tried to cram in some good get-to-know-you time when we got up to Toronto, where we shot, for rehearsal. But, yeah, it was easier this time.

TeenHollywood: How big a deal has playing this character been for you?

John: It's sort of my calling card now I guess. People on the street call me Harold all the time, which is funny because it's based on a real guy, Harold Lee, that's friends with the filmmakers and now, Harold and I are friends and we go out on occasion. We had dinner last week and people say 'Harold' and both of us turn around [laughter] and it gets a little weird.

TeenHollywood: Were you guys actually in Amsterdam in those last scenes in this new film or was that fake?

John: We were in Amsterdam.

TeenHollywood: Pretty wild town! Were you partaking in any of the fun activities?

John: No, that wasn't real yeah. That wasn't real. Weed is so debilitating. There's no way we could work with that stuff. Snoop apparently does concerts high. I can't... how does he memorize, how does he remember? It's unbelievable. He's an Olympian.

TeenHollywood: Can you identify with Harold at all?

John: Kal is more like Harold than me and I'm more like Kumar probably. I guess, this is a little embarrassing, Harold is a bit of a romantic and I think, in my worst moments, I'm like that.

TeenHollywood: Awwww, that's nice, though.

John: [we embarrassed him] Geez.

TeenHollywood: Had you met the real Harold when you did the first film and did you incorporate any of his mannerisms into your portrayal?

John: We met briefly during the first film. He was there for, literally, I think, a day. We spent an hour together hanging out but, in the time since, we've gotten to know each other and I think Kal will attest to this, [my portrayal of him in] #2 is closer to him than #1. There are little things that no one would notice but me and him. [doing impression of Harold] 'Did you notice? When I did that? That was you'. Harold has this habit of saying 'oh, okay, I guess you're the King of the World' [waving his hands in the air]. 'Oh, okay, yeah. I like your hoodie. You're a hoodie guy. Oh, hoodie. Nice goin' kid'. He does his hands like this [waving hands in air again..we're laughing].

TeenHollywood: What was it like for you to come back to the character after a few years?

John: It was good. It felt natural. For me, it was just a good time with my friends, really. We went off on location and worked on something that we thought was really funny and that we believed in so it was kind of simple.

TeenHollywood: Was there a scene where you couldn't keep a straight face?

John: I don't remember one where I was cracking up like crazy but I was there on set when Rob Corddry wiped his [butt] with the Bill of Rights. There were serious problems keeping a straight face during that scene. I don't know how they spliced together a take where Eddie Kaye Thomas is not laughing because he broke on every single take.

TeenHollywood: When you made the first [Harold and Kumar] film, did you know it would get this rabid fan following?

John: I thought there would be an audience because I felt like we made a good movie. I thought there would be a core of people who dug it. I didn't know that the circle would get this wide and I didn't know it would get this intense. People who like the movie really like the movie. There aren't that many people who are like 'oh, it was okay'. People really like it or they hate it.

TeenHollywood: Do you think there will be a third one?

John: I don't know. It depends on whether it's a box office success. We didn't know we were making a sequel for some time, over two years. There was some talk of it going straight to DVD which nobody wanted. So, I kind of thought the project might die, the sequel was never going to happen. But, it did and we're in the same boat. If this does well then, maybe they'll talk about a third one. The second problem it presents is whether we can come up with an idea that rivals the second one.

TeenHollywood: You pretty much took everything to the limit in this one.

John: I'm proud of this movie because I feel it's a true sequel in that we top the first one in every category. The gross out jokes are grosser and there's more nudity and the politics, we take it further and the racial stuff, we take it further so I don't know what we can do for the third one. I'm really at a loss. Maybe we go backwards and make a cautionary, morality tale from the Middle Ages or something. I don't know.

TeenHollywood: Can you talk with us at all about Star Trek?

John: I can't really say anything. I'll tell you that it ends with the Death Star blowing up. [we laugh].

TeenHollywood: What's your take on Sulu? Did you talk to George [Takei, the original Classic Star Trek Sulu]? He seems to approve of you playing the part.

John: I wrote George a letter before we started filming and I asked him if I could take him out for a meal and get to know each other a little bit. I don't know what to say about that except that he's a remarkable dude. I've never quite known anyone like him. He's like a Renaissance man. He speaks like he's writing with ink and quill. He's versed on many subjects and he's really kind and was very generous.

TeenHollywood: Do you feel you need to emulate that?

John: I don't mean to be vague but what I can say is that myself and everyone else on the film, J.J. and the designers, I think we are trying to be respectful of the original series and we're also trying to get some new fans, do things differently and put a younger, more vigorous spin on it.

TeenHollywood: What was it like walking on the set of the Enterprise?

John: It was dreamlike, I would have to say more than anything else. It's quite special.

TeenHollywood: Were you a fan of the show?

John: Yeah. I wasn't a rabid fan growing up. It was a slow burn for me just watching it in re-runs, catching it every once in a while. I actually found that I liked it more as I got older. Initially, it's a little goofy, 'oh, look at those funny outfits' and then, as you get past that and start listening to the text of the show, they're dealing with serious things. It's a very ambitious show and really topical so I liked it more as I grew older.

TeenHollywood: When it got moved to a summer release date, how did you feel about that?

John: I think it's great. I was kind of attached to the Christmas day release because my family and I used to go see movies on Christmas day so I was excited about that but, I think it probably is a summer movie and it's sold as a summer movie.

TeenHollywood: What's it like working with J.J. Abrams as director?

John: He is, I think, maybe one of the few geniuses I know. He seems to know everything about filmmaking. He's quite young and knows everyone's department so well. It's really freakish. He operates the camera a lot and he's just everywhere. He knows everyone's job to the point where, it's nerve-wracking. You can't misstep if you're working for J.J. because his knowledge of his set is that complete. And, what's unusual about that is he's also very in tune to what actors are doing so he knows what he wants with a performance. I will do takes until the sun goes down and I will always ask for one more. I'm a little bit neurotic but I was always willing to let it go with him because he's like 'I got it. Trust me. I got it'. I know he's more of a perfectionist than me so, if he's happy then I guess I'm happy.

TeenHollywood: Are you still singing with your band?

John: I've been so busy this past year I haven't been able to work at it at all but yeah, we've got something in the works.

TeenHollywood: What kind of music do you play?

John: It's the rock 'n roll music you know. I like to think it's old-fashioned but probably not.

***

Lynn Barker is a Hollywood-based entertainment journalist and produced screenwriter.