‘Hangover Part III’ star Ken Jeong talks Mr. Chow and the ‘Wolf Pack’

If ever there was a more unlikely Hollywood star, it would be “The Hangover Part III” actor Ken Jeong.

Jeong, whose fugitive character Mr. Chow takes on a much bigger role in the upcoming sequel, heads to the infamous Mexican city of Tijuana in “Part III” of the debauched comedy trilogy. Along with co-stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis, he eventually returns to the place that started it all for the “Wolf Pack”: Las Vegas.

While Jeong is probably best known for his portrayal of insane “Hangover” villain Leslie Chow, in person the medical doctor-turned-comic actor thankfully couldn’t be further from his on-screen character. Charming, soft-spoken, and only occasionally breaking into his tongue-in-cheek Mr. Chow voice, Jeong paid Toronto a visit last week to discuss his expanded role in the upcoming “The Hangover Part III."

“The three main leads – Ed, Bradley, and Zach – are what keep bringing people back,” Jeong said when asked why he thinks the “Hangover” movies resonate with audiences. “They are the nicest, most diva-free, ego-less leads you could ever ask to work with. They set the tone of the whole movie, really. People are always shocked to see just how low key all of us are in real life -- we really just save it all for the camera.”

Despite the bawdy humour, over-the-top comedic violence, and full-frontal Chow nudity, Jeong said the trust built up between director Todd Phillips and the cast over the previous two “Hangover” films is what made “Part III” a genuine pleasure to work on.

“I can say anything to those guys,” the actor said with a smile. “We’re friends and we’re co-workers and we trust each other and respect each others' opinions. There’s a lot of collaboration that goes on, not only for us but for each others' characters.

"Just to have that complete trust more than anything is what I’m going to miss about the ‘Hangover’ franchise and I think that really informed why people see these movies.”

While the actor made it sound like "Part III" would definitely be the last hurrah for the "Wolf Pack," he wouldn't rule out the possibility of playing crazed baddie Chow again in some capacity.

"Chow is really the only character that I could play lifelong and never get sick of," Jeong said. "There’s just something about him that’s already wide-ranging about him. You could have him work at a Kinko's or just do something in a totally different element and I would still be stimulated by the possibilities of it."

Unbalanced characters certainly seem to attract the calm and collected Jeong. The actor stars as character not dissimilar from Mr. Chow on the NBC sitcom "Community" - which was just renewed for a fifth season. Jeong plays Senor Chang on the TV series, a college Spanish professor turned obsessive sycophant and all-around weirdo. Though the actor said there are parallels between Chow and his "Community" character, he said he believes the differences between the two couldn't be more clear cut.

"I think Chang is a more pathetic version of Chow," Jeong said, laughing. "Chow is a well dressed bad-ass. Chang wears this Spanish Fly kind of stuff. They’re iconic for different reasons. People ask me all the time who would win in a fight between Chang and Chow. Chow would physically eat Chang. That’s how dark Chow is. Chang wouldn’t even know what to do. That guy lives in the air vents! Chow lives large.

"I find myself drawn to villains with a sense of humour. Chow is kind of like Joe Pesci’s character in 'Goodfellas,' or something like that. To me, that makes me laugh. Any villain that can make me laugh is something that I’m just instinctively drawn to for some reason."

Jeong also said playing the ever-changing Senor Chang on "Community" has helped him become a better actor, and helped with his wild portrayal of Leslie Chow. "It’s only widened my range," he admitted. "Even Todd [Phillips] noticed it between 'Hangover' movies. He said he could see me every year picking up new moves and he said I was a lot more seasoned than the previous movie, and I tell him, 'Yeah, that’s 'Community,' man.'

"The Hangover Part III" hits theatres on May 23.