John Cho & Kal Penn Embrace The Cult Of 'Harold & Kumar'

By Michael Lopez

You'd think some actors would be hesitant to smoke weed on film or take a shotgun to Santa Claus' face. Not John Cho and Kal Penn. In fact, they've built a whole career engaging in raunchy R-rated shenanigans. And this weekend, they're taking things to a whole new dimension with A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas.

Speaking at a recent media junket for the film, the two seemed very excited to bring back their beloved characters for another over-the-top adventure.

"What I love about this movie," Penn explained, "is that we get away with such bizarre, vulgar humor and still retain the true Christmas spirit."

Believe it or not, in between the defecation jokes, nudity, and car crashes, 3D Christmas does have a lot of heart. Writers Hayden Schlossberg and Jon Hurwitz injected a bit more maturity into the characters this time out, while still retaining plenty of LMFAO moments.

"Six years have passed since the first movie," Kal went on to say. "Now our characters are in their late 20's. They're older and more mature."

Cho made sure to add his two cents to that statement though, assuring die-hard fans that Harold and Kumar's slacker tendencies are still fully intact. He also praised the "sweet" undertones that were added to keep moviegoers in the holiday spirit.

"We made a very traditional Christmas movie," John said. "Yes it has naked nuns and yes there’s a baby on cocaine, but at it’s heart, I think it’s a very sweet picture."

The stars also seemed very excited about the new 3D elements added to the mix. When we asked Cho what his favorite in-your-face moment was, he was quick to answer (without revealing any spoilers, of course).

"I think the opening sequence is awesome," he said. "The smoke you see coming out of the screen was actually really elegant. Plus, there’s a ton of cool 3D Santa Claus stuff."

John definitely has a point with the Santa Claus comment. 3D Christmas may be the first holiday movie ever to feature Old St. Nick smoking a hash pipe. But it's all in good fun and, as Penn emphasized, stoner humor is not the root of the Harold & Kumar franchise.

"I don't think of the Harold & Kumar series as stoner movies," he said. "I think of them more as fun buddy comedies."

Indeed "comedy" is a key ingredient in the H&K equation and this sequel is chock full of it. You can see just how far our holiday heroes go when A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas hits theaters this Friday.

What's your favorite "stoner movie?" Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags 3D, A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Exclusive Entrevistas, Harold & Kumar, John Cho, Kal Penn, Movies & CineMás, Tr3s Exclusives