---------------------- • " GO MOVIES ~ z ~ Q Z ;:) U) K Pe n goes to o ood A star of 'Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle' has a bite of success BY MICHAEL GILTZ al Penn must love the DVD revolution.</p><p> His 2004 breakthrough movie -the silly but oddly sweet buddy/stoner flick "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle" -was something of a cult fave in theaters but became a monster hit on DVD.</p><p> That led to a part in last summer's "Super man Returns," and now the starring role in the teen comedy "National Lampoon's Van Wtlder: The Rise of Taj," opening Friday. lJe had a role in the 2002 "Van Wtlder" - a campus-high-jinks lark -but in the sequel, cool college cutup Taj heads to England for graduate school and befriends a gang of losers who need a boost to their self-confidence.</p><p> It was a chance for Penn to headline a film on his "They don't tell you anything," says Penn, who can sometimes fall into the "Dude!" -like patter of his "Har old & Kumar" character. "They give you the one script for the episode that you're shooting. , ..</p><p> If you're not on for the next tWo weeks, they don't give you those scripts, so you have no idea what happened in the meantime. 1 don't know if I'm a good guy or a bad guy! 1 don't know own -not to mention unleash his inner Errol Flynn in a goofy fencing finale. "I learned from the guy who taught John ny Depp for 'Pirates of the Caribbean,'" says Penn. 29, whose family hails from : Mumbai, India, but who grew up in ~ Montclair, N.J.</p><p> He lived in LA. for I years but now goes back and forth be : tween the coasts. how many episodes I'm going to be in! 1 do ' know if I'm going to live or die." A Jersey guy graduates from COmedy to 'Wilder' roles.</p><p> Kumar will certainly live, as the sequel to "Harold & Kumar" starts filming in 2007.</p><p> The next year will also see him in "Epic Movie," a spoof of blockbusters it la ..</p><p> Movie," due in January.</p><p> And in spring comes "The Namesake" from director . a Nair ("Vanity Fair," "Monsoon Weddihg') . which has been receiving good reviews atfilm festivals.</p><p> It's a project Penn has been on top of for a while -an? which, yes, D~ helped him ,t;~~ : "It was tough," he says of the fencing. -----, "It's a physical game of chess -the men- tal and physical agility that you need.</p><p> There were a lot of lessons, and then they choreographed.</p><p> It was difficult, and a good workout. "There's fencing, and there's also soine sword-fight ing, which is even more dangerous.</p><p> It was cool. 1 definite ly felt like kind of a badass." He also loved playing a henchman for Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) in "Superman Returns." (penn's hop- ing the DvD format will be kind.to him again and that some of his deleted scenes will be included.) And switch ing from comedy to a recurring role on TV's "24" when the Fox drama returns in January is the career path Penn was hoping for, even if he's in the dark about what's going to happen to his character on the show. " 'The Namesake' 18 one of my favonte books," he is;; says. "I really identified with the lead character.</p><p> Ire~y wanted to play the part, and 1 was really aggress~~ ;:':f in getting an appointment to see Mira. 1 had been ... ' . g and having my manager call. f,'ff[ "Then it turns out that her teenage son Zohrail best friend, Sam, are huge 'Harold & Kumar' f > grabbed her, dragged her to a computer and said, 'You need to watch Kal, he's in our favorite movie, you have to audition him!' "And every night Zohran would say, 'Mom, did you get a hold of Kal yet?' So if it were not for those two guys. 1 would not have gotten that movie." • I I .1 I I I
