John Cho Faces More Than Fandom with Harold and Sulu
John Cho courtesy New Line Cinema
In the second installment of his latest film -
Harold & Kumar 2: Escape from Guantanamo Bay -
John Cho reprises his character as the straitlaced-but-lovable Harold. The film reprises the stoner duo in yet another adventure in which Harold and Kumar (
Kal Penn) are on the lam, and encounter everything from the KKK to a Texas whorehouse as they flee from the evil pursuit of a government official, played by
Rob Corddry. There's no shortage of commentary on race and politics in America, teen humor and gags - not to mention the requisite appearance of
Neil Patrick Harris, playing, of course, Neil Patrick Harris.
As the cult-fave stoner flick gets a redux, Cho is already feeling the heat of the spotlight for his next role, as Sulu in the upcoming
Star Trek film. In a recent interview, Cho described how he's reacting to all the fandom, saying, "I'm discovering how much of a basic building block of American citizenship it is," he said. "Everyone knows something about
Star Trek."
With all the Trekkies clamoring for the next feature, Cho's trying not to let the legacy of the role stress him out. "You don't want to become paralyzed by that," he explained. Even more important to Cho than Sulu's iconic nature, though, is his significance as a prominent Asian character. Sulu "was a pioneer character," he said. "It was definitely part of why [getting the role] was so important to me. I wanted to participate in it. I wanted to be a part of that legacy."
Showcasing Asian-American actors was also central to his views on his role as Harold, too. "In doing Harold," Cho said, "the biggest burden is worrying about what Asians think.... It is something I always fret over when I take a role. I try to say no to things that I feel are not going to be good for Asians. Comedy is particularly tough. You want to be able to make fun of race and you don't want to exclude yourself and your own race from the equation. So you want to make yourself vulnerable, but you don't want to cross a line, either."
Although Cho likely won't have to worry much about comedic boundaries with Sulu, he still sought out some advice about it. He wrote to the original Sulu,
George Takei, and asked for a lunch date to talk
Trek. And the results? "He was great. He had a few bits of wisdom for me."
In the meantime, as we await the new
Star Trek (and Cho's crack at a young Sulu), are you amped for
Harold & Kumar 2? Or wish they'd stopped at
White Castle? Discuss below!
Escape from Guantanamo Bay opens April 25.
- Anna Dimond, with reporting by Carrie Bell
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