In the midst of the horrors of a typical slasher flick – people caged in dark basements, having their throats sawed, or being choked to death – Kal Penn still finds a way to deliver laughs. The Girl In The Photographs, which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival at midnight on September 14, is the first time the Indian American actor has stepped into the horror genre.
He plays a celebrity photographer from Los Angeles who returns to his obscure hometown in South Dakota to stage a macabre photo shoot and stumbles into a real killing spree. And he had a wicked good time with his role, he said in an interview.
I’m playing a lecherous fashion photographer who is not particularly likeable through the course of the film and that appealed to me because I’ve generally played likeable characters. I’ve enjoyed the characters I’ve played, but it’s a nice creative opportunity to play something a little bit different.
– Kal Penn
The film’s director Nick Simon added, “The role needed to be portrayed by someone who could pull off lovable and arrogant all at once. (Kal) made it look easy.”
One of the executive producers on the film was horror legend Wes Craven, who died last month. “I’ve been a fan of his since I’ve been a little kid so that was a big reason to do the film,” said Penn.
Interestingly, Penn’s character in the film is named Peter Hemmings, and his ethnicity is unclear. Penn, who changed his name from Kalpen Modi years ago when he found he wasn’t getting any auditions using his Indian name, has lately done several roles where his character is not Indian or even South Asian. Change is afoot, but slowly, he says.
“Some of the more creative filmmakers are casting more without regard to gender, ethnicity or things like that. Don’t get me wrong, Hollywood is still what it is, it’s slow to change but it changes a little bit and that’s refreshing too,” says the actor.
Penn is still remembered for his role as the goofy Kumar of the Harold & Kumar stoner films. Even with The Girl In The Photographs, the audience laughed knowingly when a character weary of his antics calls him a “stoner”. But this and his next few releases may help Penn shake off that tag. He has worked in two dramas to be released next year – Speech & Debate, and The Layover.
I love doing comedies and I will always continue to love doing them but I like that the last couple of things I’ve gotten have kind of pushed the envelope a little bit.
– Kal Penn
Around this time eight years ago, Penn had started to canvas for a state senator he admired, called Barack Obama. After Obama became US President, Penn went to Washington DC for two years to work at the White House. Now, with Obama’s term winding down, Penn is based in New York, and says he’s back to the screen for good. There’s no likelihood of a Hillary & Kumar roadshow, according to him.
Penn, who’s attending TIFF for the first time, also recalled his famous selfie with his namesake during Obama’s visit as the Republic Day chief guest earlier this year. “I asked for a selfie and he said ‘Chalo’,” said Penn of his brief encounter with the Indian Prime Minister.
(Indira Kannan is a senior journalist currently in Toronto covering the international film festival, TIFF 2015)
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