Ken Jeong Tells Us Who Would Win in a Fight Between Voldemort and Kylo Ren

He’s one of those guys that you’ve seen in everything. And he’s also butterbeer-through-the-nose funny in every role he plays. We got to sit down and talk to Ken as he was promoting his upcoming movie Ride Along 2 and what we found out was… the dude is as whip-smart as he is hilarious! Did you know he’s actually a medical Doctor? And that he skipped a grade and graduated high school at age 16? It’s true.

Since he also played a college professor in the show Community we took the opportunity to ask him some questions about his high school and college experience. Here are the seven most important things we took away from our intense convo with Doctor Jeong:

 

1) What Happens in High School Does NOT Define the Rest of Your Life

“High school is not the end point. High school is there to just prepare you for the beginning of everything. To me it’s just getting all the necessary tools to move to the next period of your life.”

 

2) Being Serious About School Is Important, but That Doesn’t Mean You Have to Take Yourself Seriously

“For me, my whole goal was to just get into a good college. I kept my focus on it. But I had fun while doing that. I ended up in high school… there was this mock-male beauty pageant that I entered and won!”

 

3) You Can Be a Nerd and Also Be Confident Simultaneously

“I was definitely a nerd in high school but I was a popular nerd. I was very comfortable with who I was in high school. I got along with everybody. Confidence… my dad would always say ‘No matter what your insecurities or neuroses are, knowledge is power.’ The more you know… that conquers any neuroses or self-doubt. And that gave me confidence.”

 

4) Be Prepared for Your Life to Change in Ways You Never Saw Coming in College

“Expect the unexpected! College is where I got the acting bug. I never had it in high school. I had maybe the seeds of it toward the end, but college really informed me of who I was. And I had no idea that would happen. I was going to Duke with the intention of going to med school. Then I discovered acting. So much so that I even applied to the acting school and got in, but still committed to med school.”

 

5) It Might Be Possible That Your College Admissions Essay Isn’t Going to Be the Most Important Thing You Ever Write

“I don’t remember what I wrote my college admissions essay about! And I don’t know if that is a good or a bad thing. I have completely no memory of what I did to get into Duke. I think for me, the essay wasn’t as impactful as for, say, someone else.”

 

6) When You’re Applying to Colleges, “Go with the Flow”

“Everyone has their own unique experience with the application process. But I think everyone can agree that it’s all very stressful and sometimes a bit random. There’s a bit of a flow you have to go with. You can only control so much. I think it’s good to have a lot of different options.”

 

7) Voldemort vs. Kylo Ren: A Battle to the Death, the Winner Would Be…

“Oh, Voldemort! I mean, Kylo Ren is just kind of starting out, right? I think it’s team Voldemort all the way.”

 

Ride Along 2 will be in theaters everywhere Friday, January 15th.