Neil Patrick Harris Harris once again plays a distorted version of himself in Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, the second film of the franchise, an experience Harris labels as “wildly fun”. At the Los Angeles press day to promote the R-rated comedy starring John Cho and Kal Penn as pot smoking friends who attract trouble, Harris revealed he heard rumors about the first movie before he was ever approached to play himself in that 2004 film.
“I heard through a friend that the movie was greenlit and being made and that I was in it and did I know about it? I didn't,” recalled Harris. “So I quickly gave my attorney a call to find out if that was legitimate and got the script. Actually, my friend didn't quite get the joke so he thought I would be offended and bothered by it. I thought it was hilarious. So did my manager.”
If Harris hadn’t been interested in appearing as himself in Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, the part would more than likely have been adjusted to feature a different actor with the same sort of background. But since Harris got the joke, no changes had to be made to the original script. The writing duo behind the first film, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg (they wrote and directed Escape from Guantanamo Bay), were fans of Harris’ and that’s why they really wanted to have the ex-Doogie Howser star involved in the film. Since his supporting role in the original movie, Harris has a new following of fans who adore ‘NPH’.
“I don't know what to make of it,” replied Harris when asked about the NPH fanatics. “I really don't know what to make of it. You don't want to be built up too high or else then everyone's going to get annoyed by you and want to tear you down, so it's flattering to a point and then you wonder if you're the butt of the joke or part of the joke. So I'm glad it's me. I guess it's nice that people know my name now.”
Harris credits Harold and Kumar with altering the way not only fans see him, but also the way he’s viewed by producers and directors. “I think it allowed people to see that I can take on that alpha male guy and they'll believe it,” said Harris. “So it helped with How I Met Your Mother without question. I guess it worked enough that they wrote the sequel to this, so yeah, [it’s] cool. I mean, I really like working and I like to try to keep things at a medium heat, so when things start popping too much, then I don't know quite what to make of it, so we'll see.”
No one really anticipated the first movie would achieve a sort of cult status based on its below average box office numbers. However the film really picked up steam once it was released on DVD. “They were hoping the first would be Cheech and Chong,” explained Harris. “I think they were hoping for a franchise. Then the first one just didn't open as strong as they wanted. That opening weekend is just key to every movie, so everyone shrugged. Then it came out on DVD and people kept watching it and kept talking about it. All of a sudden when it came out on DVD it was like people forgot that it didn't do so well in the theaters. Everyone assumed it was a big hit movie. Then it just had legs, so I assumed that there might be a sequel. I didn't know it would be theatrically released or that I'd even want to be a part of it. Like Starship Troopers went on to have multiple sequels that went to DVD and seemed kind of odd. So I was thrilled. This was great.”
And Harris hopes this isn’t the end of Harold and Kumar. The Harold and Kumar gig has been a pretty easy one (Harris only spent three days on the set of the first movie and five days on the second one) and he’s got an idea for a third movie. “I would like to see a prequel. I'd like to see how he got to be the drug-addled sex-crazed derelict hooker branding derelict that he is,” joked Harris.
