"He Was A Beautiful Man Of His Word": How Ryan Reynolds Helped Greenlight Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle

Summary Ryan Reynolds' support and cameo were instrumental in getting Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle made.

Reynolds' generosity and charm helped push the low-budget film to success, leading to sequels and career boosts for the cast.

Despite being lesser-known at the time, Reynolds' involvement in the project had a lasting positive impact on all involved.

Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle team members explain how Ryan Reynolds helped get the comedy made. The 2004 road trip movie tells the story of Harold Lee and Kumar Patel, and their quest to eat White Castle Burgers. Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle was directed by Danny Leiner and featured a leading cast including John Cho, Kal Penn, Ethan Embry, Rob Tinkler, Fred Willard, and Steve Braun.

Speaking with Rolling Stone, actor Penn and producer Nathan Kahane explain how Reynolds helped Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle get made. According to Penn, Reynolds was "incredibly supportive" during the audition for Van Wilder a couple of years earlier and even helped Penn improvise during a callback, as he was "rooting for [Penn] to get the job." Then, Reynolds agreed to make a cameo in the film, which really pushed Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle to being made. Kahane went so far as to say that "Ryan joining the cast got the movie greenlit." Check out the full quotes from Penn and Kahane below:

Penn: 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.” Kahane: I remember 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.

This Story Makes Ryan Reynolds Even More Likable

The Actor Is Beloved By Fans

Given the time period in which Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle was released, it is notable that Reynolds was able to push the film forward. Released two decades ago, Reynolds was only 27 years old at the time of the comedy's release, and was much less of a Hollywood star than he is now. Still, prior to Harold & Kumar, Reynolds had risen to stardom with roles in projects such as Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place, Boltneck, and Van Wilder. That greater name recognition was enough to get Harold & Kumar made.

Penn's description of Reynolds makes the actor even more favorable than he already is. Contributing talents to goofy projects such as Free Guy and the Deadpool series, Reynolds is easily one of the most readily likable actors on screen. Reynolds' roles carry with them an ineffable charisma and charm that draw audiences to his projects. Based on Penn's statement, it seems like this jovial attitude extends to Reynolds' off-screen behavior as well.

Related Kal Penn's 10 Best Movies, Ranked By IMDb Kal Penn may be best known for his role in the Harold and Kumar movies, but IMDb confirms he has a number of other films that are also his best.

Taking a chance on Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle ended up paying off in the long-term. The $9 million budget film ended up turning a profit of $23.9 million, and went on to get two sequel movies. Penn is now a working actor as a result of the Harold & Kumar series, as is Cho, with recent titles including the acclaimed show The Sympathizer, and the upcoming horror film AfrAId. Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle may have just been a small role for Reynolds, but his actions had a lasting positive impact.

Source: Rolling Stone