By Lola Pak
“Transylmania,” which opens on Dec. 4, is a film about a group of college students that embark on their wildest, sexiest, most outrageous semester abroad ever at Razvan University. We caught up with Paul H. Kim, who plays Wang.
Tell me about “Transylmania.”
For me, “Transylmania,” is very much like riding this fun roller-coaster with lots of twists and turns. There are some pretty outrageous things that happen in the film. And on this ride are a bunch of college kids that apply to every study abroad program looking for adventure and excitement, but get denied by all of them except for this one known as Razvan U, located in the heart of Transylvania. However, unbeknownst to us, Razvan U is riddled with vampires, a castle freak, and a maniacal dean hell bent on finding happiness for his daughter, though his methods are seriously questionable. To sum it up, we try to keep our cool, have a lot of fun, and not lose our heads.
Your character, Wang, is essentially a pothead in college. Any similarities with your own college experience?
Haha. I wish there were more similarities. Especially when it comes to my hairdo. My hair is pretty wild in the film. And that was inspired by the bride of Frankenstein. When I was back in school, I was so consumed with graduating on time and with my fellow classmates. My senior year I had two 20-unit-plus quarters on top of working on plays and rehearsals. I was literally in school five days a week starting at 8 a.m. and wouldn’t be finished on most nights till 11 p.m., with few or little breaks in between, and seven days if you count performing plays on the weekend. I still have nightmares about it. I have this recurring nightmare where I realize I’m a couple credits shy of graduating and I have to go back. EEK!
You were also in the “National Lampoon” films. Has comedy always been your thing? What made “Transylmania” appealing to work on?
Like a lot of Korean American families, especially here in Los Angeles my family owned and operated a liquor store. So, growing up I would go to school and afterwards work with my folks at the store, do my home work, and just try to do whatever I could to entertain myself. I was practically raised in a liquor store. I know I had a lot friends growing up, but I must admit that for a long while, my best friend was television. I was lucky, because at that time they played a lot of these films that starred Bob Hope, Danny Kaye, Jerry Lewis, The Three Stooges, Abbott & Costello, The Marx Bros., and Charlie Chaplin. I wanted to be just like Harpo Marx. I even begged my mom for harp lessons…but then I realized how intricate and difficult the harp can be. Later on there were shows like “Different Strokes,” “Silver Spoons,” and “The Cosby Show.” I wanted to be a part of the Huxtable family. Whenever little Rudy had a party at the house there was always an Asian kid, and I remember wanting to be that kid. My introduction to acting is definitely rooted in comedy and what made “Transylmania” so appealing to work on a personal level is that you get a glimpse of the influence the likes of Danny Kaye, Bob Hope, and Harpo Marx had on me growing up. And overall, I believe “Transylmania” to be very much like some of the films I watched as a kid.. Like, “Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein.”
Class courses at Razvan were taught by vampires. Do they creep you out or turn you on?
A little bit of both ; )
How will you be spending the holidays?
My dad’s a great piano player so my family and I will gather around and sing Christmas carols. Drink some egg-nog with a little bit of whiskey in it. Although, I’m lactose-intolerant so maybe just the whiskey.
