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| Mr. Modi Arrives in Washington | | By SUNITA SOHRABJI | | | indiawest.com | July 16, 2009 04:03:00 PM |
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In a July 6 conference call with reporters on the first day of his new job at the White House, actor Kal Penn revealed he had practiced good dental hygiene before taking public transportation to work.
People magazine asked the actor who played a pre-med pothead in two “Harold and Kumar” movies how he had prepared for his first day.
 “You’re going to be bored by this,” quipped the University of Pennsylvania alumnus. “I brushed my teeth. I did floss, used mouthwash, and took the bus to work, same thing as everybody else does.”
Penn, 31, is the new associate director in the White House Office of Public Engagement. The early backer of President Barack Obama was appointed to the post April 7, and is charged with doing outreach to the Asian American Pacific Islander community and to nonprofit arts organizations (I-W, Apr. 10).
In response to a question from this newspaper, Penn — who is reverting to his given name Kalpen Suresh Modi for his White House role — told India-West the South Asian American community had been hugely active in both camps of the last presidential election cycle.
“The South Asian American community was not just relegated to marginalized roles,” he said, adding that Indian Americans have taken an active role in not only immigration policy, but also health care and lesbian and gay issues.
“These are not tokenized sorts of things, but part of the fabric that makes us all Americans,” he said, adding that the OPE would build on this momentum with the South Asian American community.
“This is an incredibly historic time and I am deeply honored to be here,” said Penn, following a brief introduction by Shin Inouye, director of specialty media at the White House.
Penn said he started volunteering for the Obama campaign in October 2007, filling out an online application to begin the process, saying he would knock on doors to raise support for the senator from Illinois.
“I was really inspired by the types of folks who were participating in Obama’s campaign,” recalled the son of Gujarati immigrants. “When the president won, I wanted to see what I could do to be involved in his movement for change.”
Penn played Dr. Lawrence Kutner on Fox’s “House,” and was killed off the show April 6 by suicide, one day before the White House announcement of his new post. He told reporters he is now taking a hiatus from acting, with an unspecified end date.
In May, Warner Bros. announced a sequel, “A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas,” which is set to be released Nov. 5, 2010. Penn avoided the question of whether he would star in the movie, saying, “The ‘Harold and Kumar’ films were frivolous, escapist entertainment, which also broke a lot of stereotypes about Asian Americans. I had a lot of fun making them.”
“But I hope the folks who are making those films will respect my decision to take a sabbatical.”
Penn also deftly avoided questions about his salary on the 17-minute call. Earlier this month, the White House released a list of all its employees’ salaries (see separate story), but Penn was not listed, as he had not yet started.
“The greatest reward is working for the Obama administration,” he said.
The veteran actor also appeared as Gogol in Mira Nair’s “The Namesake,” and in the “Van Wilder” films. |
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