There are few comedy stars as consistently hilarious and versatile in modern day Hollywood as Ken Jeong. The man has had a meteoric rise to comedy stardom with standout performances in some of the most hilarious films and series’ in recent memory. His latest role sees him star alongside one of the world’s most iconic superstars, David Hasselhoff, in an outrageous comedy that promises even more side-splitting moments from Mr Jeong: Killing Hasselhoff. To celebrate the release which is available to download digitally now and on DVD & Blu-rayTM from October 2nd, we’re taking a look at Ken’s rise to the top of the Hollywood comedy ladder, including some of his most brazen comedy moments!
Pineapple Express (2008)
Although the role of Ken, the menacing Asian mobster in Seth Rogan’s hilarious stoner comedy Pineapple Express, may not have been the role to showcase all of Ken Jeong’s most unique qualities, it helped cement his place in the American comedy movie scene for good.
Most visible during the now infamous gang shoot out at the films climax, Ken uses his screen time well to give some memorable one-liners and also demonstrate his ability to portray a more unstable character, not to mention his kick-ass skills with an automatic weapon. From here it was clear that nothing could stop the rise of Ken Jeong!
Role Models (2008)
In the uplifting and now fondly remembered comedy Role Models, Jeong played the villainous nerd ‘King Argotron’, who has spread his dictatorship of “LAIRE” (Live Action Interactive Role-playing Explorers) far and wide over the role play community. He even lies about being ‘slain’ by the loveable Augie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) in order to keep his coveted crown firmly on his head.
Some of the film’s most hilarious moments come from Ken Jeong at his most outrageously detestable on the battlefield, getting his chance to show how hilarious he can be in a mainstream comedy when given the chance, and also showing another side of what he’s capable of.
The Hangover series (2009 – 2013)
This will surely be seen as Ken Jeong’s breakout role, as the utterly unhinged gangster Mr. Chow, who tries to wreak havoc on a group of young men, desperately trying to piece together a wild night in Vegas. His introduction of leaping out of the boot of a car in his birthday suit onto the shoulders of Bradley Cooper has got to be one of the most memorable moments in modern comedy.
And although a naked Ken Jeong attacking three grown men with a crowbar in the middle of the desert is far from middle of the road, it is testament to his comedic capabilities to say he managed to ramp up the ‘crazy’ even more so for the two incredibly successful sequels. Too-da-loo mother******s…!
Community (2009 – 2015)
2009 proved to be a very good year for Ken Jeong, as not only did he began his journey in what would become the most successful comedy film franchise of the 21st Century, he would also begin his six-year stint in Dan Harmon’s quirky comedy series Community.
The NBC series slowly developed a cult following (much like Harmon’s latest creation Rick and Morty) and is responsible for pushing forward some of the most talented comedians and actors in Hollywood today: Donald Glover, Alison Brie, Joel McHale, Gillian Jacobs. Community focuses on a rag-tag group of adults attending a community college, with Jeong playing the unstable (to put it lightly) and unqualified Spanish teacher-turned-student, Senior Chang. Chang became one of the series’ most hilarious characters, always pushing the limits of how outrageous each episode could be. His character is also responsible for one of the first ever memes to go viral… “HAH! Gayyyyyy…”
Dr. Ken (2015 – current)
Ken Jeong’s profile has risen so much over the past few years that he has now made the jump from hilarious supporting character to loveable leading man, in his sitcom Dr. Ken, currently airing on ABC in the US. A qualified doctor himself, Jeong plays an accomplished physician (Jeong) who tries to balance his career at the hospital and a hectic family life with two kids and a wife.
In comparison to his roles in The Hangover and Community, Jeong has dialled down the crazy in this series, allowing him to display his qualities as a more middle-of-the-road doctor… but you always know that there’s a much more manic side to him ready to burst out at any given moment, which is just what he’s best at!
Killing Hasselhoff (2017)
Where do you go from leading role in a TV series I hear you ask? How’s about a leading role in this year’s most outrageous comedy film! Ken Jeong stars alongside one of the most iconic faces of all time, Mr. David Hasselhoff, in a film based around the idea of a group on celebrities (including Jeong himself) attempting to ‘off’ The Hoff for a huge pay-out. We can’t wait to see what kind of bonkers tricks Ken has got up his sleeve to get that celeb death-pool money, but from the looks of the trailer it’s going to be it’s going to be a pretty wild ride. Truly fitting for one of the industry’s most loveably OTT comedy actors!
Killing Hasselhoff is out now on digital download and on Blu-ray and DVD from 2 October 2017
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