As Deadpool & Wolverine enjoys continued success at the box office, another movie franchise has Ryan Reynolds to thank on its 20th anniversary.
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle star Kal Penn and producer Nathan Kahane revealed the Golden Globe nominee was instrumental in getting the 2004 stoner comedy made as they recently marked the milestone birthday.
Penn noted to Rolling Stone in an oral history of the movie that Reynolds’ support began when they starred together in National Lampoon’s Van Wilder (2002).
“Ryan was incredibly supportive during the audition process for Van Wilder. In the final callback, it was between me and a white dude in brownface for the part of an Indian exchange student. He said to me, ‘How do you feel about improv?’ So we improvised the scene, and he was obviously rooting for me to get the job. The entire production was awesome. He told me once in passing, ‘When you get your first lead, let me know and I’ll play the supporting guy.’ When Harold & Kumar happened and we were talking about cameos, I reached out to Ryan and he was immediately like, ‘Yes, absolutely.’”
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle follows the titular roommates, played by John Cho and Penn, as they treat a case of the munchies with a late-night jaunt to the titular fast-food chain, but a series of chaotic events ensue along the way.
Kal Penn and John Cho in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004). (New Line/Courtesy Everett Collection)
“When we got the call from New Line, they had one caveat: Because we were casting unknowns, they wanted us to get three cameos in the movie so it felt like a fuller theatrical experience,” said Kahane.
He recalled “calling Ryan’s agent and was like, ‘Is this happening?’ He told me Ryan was totally supportive because Ryan loves Kal. We paid him $10,000, and he was a beautiful man of his word. Ryan joining that cast got the movie greenlit.”
Reynolds has a cameo as a frantic nurse who mistakes the duo for surgeons, pulling them into an operation.
Kal Penn, Colossus the Dog and Ryan Reynolds in National Lampoon’s Van Wilder (2002).
Penn and Cho reunited for the 2008 sequel Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay and A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas in 2011. Kahane told Rolling Stone they’re “having conversations right now” about a fourth installment, as Penn, Cho and co-writer Jon Hurwitz all expressed their willingness to return.
In 2006, Penn returned to his roots and led his own spin-off sequel Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj. It was followed by the 2009 prequel Van Wilder: Freshman Year, starring Jonathan Bennett and Kristin Cavallari.