ALISON ROWAT

KEN Jeong is full of surprises. That he is adept at comic voices is evident from his parts in the animated movies Despicable Me, Turbo, and his latest, Penguins of Madagascar. That he can steal a scene was apparent when he sprang out of a car boot, naked, in The Hangover. But that he is a fully qualified doctor?

??I still have my licence but I think it??s more to remind myself where I came from,?? he says.

Given the way his career has been going since he landed his first film part in Knocked Up seven years ago, it could be a while yet before anyone will hear the words, ??Dr Jeong will see you now??.

Penguins of Madagascar, out this week, has a voice cast that runs from Jeong, Benedict Cumberbatch, and John Malkovich, all the way to acclaimed director Werner Herzog, who does a spot on cameo as a nature documentary maestro. Jeong??s character is Short Fuse, a seal. Short Fuse is part of an elite animal team that swoops in to help the Penguins of Madagascar, a band of flightless brothers who are to elite missions what polar bears are to ballet dancing.

Jeong??s own cover was blown as soon as his twin daughters, seven, saw the film.

??They are huge Madagascar fans. One of the first movies they saw in theatres that they really remember is the third Madagascar.?? Knowing the pictures so well, they twigged dad as soon as his character appeared, which doesn??t often happen he says. ??I??ll surprise them occasionally and that??s a huge compliment when they don??t recognise the voice.??

Making films that his daughters can see is one attraction of animated movies, as is the freedom they allow actors to come and go at different times. Unlike live action movies, animated films do not require everybody to be in the one place at the one time, all of which makes for interesting times at premieres when the cast meet, often for the first time.

??When I did Turbo last year I had not met half of the cast and it was great to go to the premiere and meet everybody.??

With acting traditionally thought of as a team sport, it might be thought that being in a studio alone, save for the directors and crew, could be a disadvantage. Not so, says Jeong down the line from Los Angeles.

??I??ve done sessions where I??ve done it alone, and with other actors in the studio. It doesn??t make much of a difference to me. It??s really, ??Do I know what I??m doing and am I in sync with the director and what he wants????? Flying solo even has its advantages, he adds. ??It might be more advantageous to do it alone because you can come up with ad libs and not worry about holding people up with your improv.??

The part of Short Fuse was fleshed out on the page, says Jeong, but the directors and writers were happy for him to add his own flourishes, up to a point.

??I make sure I get it exactly as written, and make sure I serve the story first and foremost. But while doing that if some idea organically pops up, sometimes it??s not me, sometimes the director, the writers, they??ll come up with an extra line. It??s very much a collaborative improv. It??s not just me going hey look what I can do. If the improv is too long, even if it??s funny, and it??s not usable, then I won??t do it.??

Detroit-born Jeong, 45, is first generation Korean-American. He had long wanted to be an actor, and when he went to university he auditioned for the drama department and was successful. But he was already majoring in pre-med so the drama had to go.

??I was encouraged to do both but I knew it would be impossible to study both at the same time, they are so time-consuming in different ways. You have to be fully woven into each culture.??

He began work as a doctor, married a doctor, Tran, and kept the performing as a hobby. Then along came Judd Apatow, Hollywood??s king of comedy, with the offer of a part in Knocked Up. Jeong continued with the day job, but after the film it was clear that a decision had to be made as to which direction he should head in. His wife was in no doubt.

??She knew she married an actor at heart and she knew it was kind of my time to try this full time. She really encouraged me. I was the one who was more nervous about it, knowing how fickle entertainment can be. My wife had more confidence in me than me.??

Telling his parents might have been another tricky moment, but they were of the view that if it was okay with Tran it was fine by them as well. ??They??re just so happy that I??m happy.??

Apatow cast him again, in Pineapple Express and Step Brothers. He was on his way, and his career might have continued at normal speed if not for the booster provided by a little film called The Hangover. Made for $35 million, Todd Phillips??s comedy went on to gross $467 million worldwide and made the names of the relatively unknown cast of Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms and Ken Jeong.

The latter only knew what a hit the film was going to be when he and his wife went out to dinner.

??It was a few days after the movie came out and everybody just started staring at me. I honestly did not know what was going on. It just felt like a dream, it didn??t feel real. I said, ??Is it me or is everybody staring??? My wife said, yes, you can kind of tell they just saw The Hangover.??

As for Jeong??s startling entrance, that was his idea, a piece of improv that paid off handsomely. The part had not been written as such, but after he suggested it, Phillips insisted on it.

??They wanted me to sign a waiver ensuring that I would do it, I wouldn??t change my mind. They loved it that much.??

The nevitably underwhelming, sequels arrived, with Hangover 3 particularly poorly received by critics. Jeong says there will not be a fourth.

After Penguins of Madagascar, Jeong will next be seen in KTown Cowboys, a comedy drama set in the titular Korean-American community in Los Angeles. As well as making a cameo appearance, he is an executive producer. Both Jeong and his wife, who is Vietnamese, are keen that their children should feel a connection with where the families come from.

??We try to teach them an appreciation of both Korea and Vietnam. Both of us come from well grounded families and we really stress the importance of family support and keeping things as grounded as possible. It??s a little bit of culture and a lot of family.??

Also keeping him grounded is that licence to be a doctor and the notion, though distant for now, that he will one day return to medicine.

??It may not be traditional nine to five patient care, it may be some sort of charity work or administrative work, I don??t know.??

[itals] Penguins of Madagascar opens in cinemas tomorrow (December 5)