ComingSoon Senior Editor Spencer Legacy spoke with The Underdoggs star Kal Penn about the Prime Video comedy movie. Penn discussed how excited he was to work with Snoop Dogg and his favorite scene from the movie. The film is set to release exclusively on Prime Video on Friday, January 26.
“Jaycen ‘Two Js’ Jennings is a washed-up ex-professional football star who has hit rock bottom,” reads the film‘s synopsis. “When Jaycen is sentenced to community service coaching the Underdoggs, an unruly pee-wee football team in his hometown of Long Beach, California, he sees it as an opportunity to rebuild his public image and turn his life around. As Jaycen works to transform the foul-mouthed Underdoggs into top-notch champions, he reconnects with his past, including an old flame and few of his ex-teammates and rediscovers his love of the game.”
Spencer Legacy: What is it that originally drew you to The Underdoggs?
Kal Penn: If I’m being perfectly honest, it was just the idea that I’d have a couple of scenes with Snoop. I said “yes” before I read it. [Laughs]. We reached out to him years ago for a part in one of the Harold & Kumar movies, and it didn’t work out scheduling-wise. Since then, we’d said, “Oh, it’d be really fun to work together on something.”
We just didn’t know what that would be. When this came around, and they reached out, I said yes. Before I had read the script, I just hit reply on that email. I was like, “Hard yes, absolutely, let’s do this.” Then I read the script, and I really liked it, and I’ll tell you why — it obviously reminded me of Bad News Bears in the heart of a movie like that. But my first love is always comedy, and the fact that it was so funny and such a ridiculous, funny script and had that much heart …I was really excited to be part of it.
In that first scene, you’re in the office on the little treadmill with paraphernalia everywhere. What was it like to film that first scene that’s so indicative of your character?
I based part of that character on an agent I met once, like way back in the day. And this guy would say anything just to make you like him. He just wanted you to like him. So the lies that would come out of his mouth were so insane. And he’s different from my character in the obvious ways of how I repped Two-Js when he was at his peak, and in the years since the calls are less frequent because he’s not as lucrative of a client compared to other people that I represent. But I still care for him deeply, and I still care about what happens to him, so I try to steer him in a particular direction.
But in the end, I play an agent who’s looking out for business interests rather than personal interests. All of that in that first scene. To be able to combine those two, especially with Snoop with his improv skills and with how funny he is … just a really great day.
Snoop even references Harold & Kumar in the movie. Was that improv, or was that in the script?
Total improv on his part. He didn’t tell me he was going to do it. You’re the new guy on a movie — this is his movie, right? With him and the kids. I had to fight the urge to break character. But no, that was all him.
There’s a clip online of you singing “Gin and Juice.” What was the experience like finally getting to work with Snoop Dogg after all that time?
It was great. I had a blast with, with the scenes that we had. He’s also such a great guy and very funny. We’d love to do — or at least I would love to — do something again with him. If we get a fourth Harold and Kumar, we need to find a place for him.
Do you have a particular favorite scene in the movie now that it’s out that you really want people to look out for?
I’m obviously biased because I’m in it, so I would say the scene is so absurdist, I had fun with. But if I’m being honest, I really think one of the funniest scenes that’s also pretty poignant is when Two-Js is in the first couple of days of coaching. Without giving too much away, before he really gets into his stride, there’s a scene with him and the kids and some of the parents. So much of that comedy is unspoken. It’s in the looks they give each other and Charles [Sone III, director] is so good at capturing the looks.
One of the things that tends to disappear in comedy a lot through the editing process is silence. I think it’s such a shame, because a lot of times, you lose comedic beats. There are so many comedic beats that are played in silence in that scene. To me, it’s such a genius scene because it’s all played in looks. That’s probably truly my favorite scene that I’m not even in.
