when does Actor Kal Penn Trades House For White House?
WASHINGTON — Actor Kal Penn started a new job Monday as a liaison between the White House and Asian communities. The Indian-American actor is taking a break from Hollywood to work as an associate director in the Office of Public Liaison, with a focus on connecting Obama with the Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities, as well as arts groups. Penn had a recurring role on Fox’s TV show “House” and starred in several films including “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle” and its sequel, “Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay” Penn, who backed Obama during the campaign, said the new job has nothing to do with his life as an actor. “I expect to be treated just like any other staff member,” he told reporters on a conference call. He is even applying this quest for a fresh start to his identity, saying he will use his given name, Kalpen Modi, instead of his acting moniker while working for the Obama administration. Penn described the public liaison office as the “front door to th
Since the new season of House, M.D., Fox’s medical mystery hit, began, there had been buzz about a plot twist that would shock the audience. But even with that knowledge, devoted House watchers were thunderstruck when one of the series’ mainstays, the irreverent Dr. Lawrence Kutner, played by Indian-American actor Kal Penn, was discovered dead at the beginning of Monday’s episode. “He didn’t slit his wrists and peacefully drift away,” an anguished Dr. House snapped to Kutner’s grieving colleagues. “He shot himself.” What a way to leave. Penn had made a hard decision: He was leaving House — a job he loved — to go to the White House as the new associate director of the Office of Public Liaison. It was, Penn told reporters during a phone conference Tuesday, a unique opportunity to engage in one of two lifelong passions. The first is acting; the second, public service. When Penn told his family and friends the news, some friends thought he was crazy to trade a successful actor’s salary and
WASHINGTON — Actor Kal Penn started a new job Monday as a liaison between the White House and Asian communities. The Indian-American actor is taking a break from Hollywood to work as an associate director in the Office of Public Liaison, with a focus on connecting Obama with the Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities, as well as arts groups. Penn had a recurring role on Fox’s TV show “House” and starred in several films including “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle” and its sequel, “Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay” Penn, who backed Obama during the campaign, said the new job has nothing to do with his life as an actor. “I expect to be treated just like any other staff member,” he told reporters on a conference call. He is even applying this quest for a fresh start to his identity, saying he will use his given name, Kalpen Modi, instead of his acting moniker while working for the Obama administration. Penn described the public liaison office as the “front door to th
