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Kal Penn, was born Kalpen Suresh Modi in Montclair, New Jersey on April 23,
1977, Kal Penn graduated from the Freehold Regional High School District's
Performing Arts High School, attended the Governor's School for the Arts,
and received a degree from the prestigious School of Theater, Film and
Television at UCLA. He recently returned to acting after a two-year
sabbatical during which he served as an Associate Director of the White
House Office of Public Engagement.
During his tenure with the Obama Administration, Kal served in a variety of
roles, including that of the President's Liaison to the Arts Communities,
Young Americans, and Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders. He has been an
Adjunct Professor of Cinema, Sociology and Asian American Studies at the
University of Pennsylvania, too, and is currently pursuing a Graduate
Certificate in International Security at Stanford University.
Kal Penn - The "A Very Harold & Kumar 3-D Christmas" Interview
with Kam Williams
Kam
Williams: Hi Kal, thanks so much for the time.
Kal Penn: Of course, Kam. How're you doing?
KW: Fine, thanks. Since I'm from Princeton, I was wondering whether you
still have any connections to New Jersey.
KP: Oh, are you really? Yes I do. My folks are in Jersey. And I have a lot
of friends and other family there. So, I try to visit as much as possible.
KW: I‘d like to get right to readers' questions, because I have a lot of
ground to cover, between your acting career and your work in the Obama
Administration. Kristopher Seals asks: What do you enjoy most about making a
"Harold & Kumar" movie, and are you ever confused by fans with your iconic
character, Kumar?
KP: [Laughs] Sometimes, I am confused with him. It sort of depends on who is
approaching me. I would really say my favorite thing about making another
"Harold & Kumar" is coming back and working with old friends again: John
Cho… Neil Patrick Harris… and Jon [Hurwitz] and Hayden [Schlossberg], the
guys who wrote all three films.
KW: Lisa Loving says: There is undeniably a subtle thread of politics
running through "Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo," one of my
favorite movies of all time. How have your politics impacted your acting
career?
KP: Hopefully, they haven't at all. I like to keep them very separate. In
fact, I would disagree with Lisa in that I don't think Guantanamo Bay was
political at all. At least that wasn't the intention. The aim was just to
make people laugh, Democrats, Republicans, and everyone in between. We just
hope everybody has a good time.
KW: Judyth Piazza would like to know: What is the most important lesson you
learned from working in the White House?
KP: Patience.
KW: Yale grad Tommy Russell asks: How much freedom did you have to implement
your own ideas while working in the Obama Administration?
KP: The point of serving your country is not to do your own thing or to go
rogue, but to work as part of the process. Having a chance to work on
President Obama's agenda was really remarkable, especially when it came to
things like access to education, increasing Pell Grants and bringing folks
home from Iraq. Those were the sort of things I was working on, and I was
very happy to contribute in that way.
KW: Tommy has a follow-up: What would be your dream role?
KP: Oh, wow! My dream role? In many ways, I feel like having the opportunity
to play Gogol in "The Namesake" really was my dream role in many ways.
KW: Mirah Riben asks: Have you seen The Ides of March, and if so, how close
was the movie to your experience working on the 2008 presidential campaign?
KP: Sorry, I haven't seen it yet.
KW: Mirah also asks: Has President Obama measured up to your expectations
and hopes for the country?
KP: He has exceeded my expectations.
KW: How so?
KP: The media are mostly interested in generating ad revenue, so they focus
on the more divisive and more titillating stories. But the reality is that,
behind the scenes, I've watched the President fight day-in and day-out for
the things that matter to most folks, like jobs, education reform, the needs
of returning war veterans, investment capital for entrepreneurs, support for
Historically-Black Colleges and Universities, etcetera. That's been my
experience. He's had some huge successes with much of that agenda, but it's
rarely, if ever, mentioned in the mainstream news. So, I'm actually very
proud of the work that he's done so far, and I believe that he's going to
achieve a lot more, if we elect him to a second term.
KW: What do you think about Occupy Wall Street?
KP: I feel that the sentiment is something that many of us agree with, and
I'm looking forward to seeing what the "asks" are from the good folks that
are down there.
KW: Wesley Derbyshire was wondering whether you now see any parallels
between acting and politics?
KP: [Chuckles] Not really.
KW: Legist/Editor Patricia Turnier asks: Which do you find more challenging:
acting or politics?
KP: They're totally different. You can't really compare the two. Each is
challenging in its own way.
KW: Patricia also wants to know, whether you'd accept an offer to play the
lead role of Jawaharlal Nehru in a movie?
KP: I guess it depends on the movie.
KW: Teresa Emerson says: Do you see yourself ever running for political
office someday?
KP: I don't have any plans to run for office. What I love about L.A. and
Washington, D.C. is that they're almost the opposite of each other. L.A. is
a very creative space while D.C. is a very cerebral space. So, they're the
ying and the yang in my world. I like them both for their own reasons.
KW: Harriet Pakula Teweles asks: How did acting prepare you for working in
the Obama Administration and how did that prepare you to return to acting?
In other words, how different is representing and presenting?
KP: The two are completely different. What prepared me for working in the
White House were my graduate program in International Security and my time
spent teaching at the University of Pennsylvania. They didn't have much to
do with acting, per se.
KW: Documentary film director Kevin Williams asks: How do you think your
tenure in the Obama Administration will affect your acting career?
KP: [Laughs] No, again I think they're totally separate.
KW: Kevin also asks: Why do you think the Harold & Kumar franchise has been
so successful?
KP: Because of the fans. I think everyone loves to laugh. The characters are
good-natured and have a positive outlook on life. So much comedy nowadays is
cynical and based on cutting other people down. What I love about the
"Harold & Kumar" movies is that they are more about raising people up. I
think the audience appreciates that.
KW: Larry Greenberg says: I was devastated when you died on House. Now that
you're back to life, is there any chance I'll get to see you in a zombie
film?
KP: [LOL] That sounds like a lot of fun, Larry.
KW: Aleesha Houston asks: When was the last time you treated yourself to a
day off just to pamper yourself?
KP: I don't really do that. When I'm able to take a day off, I'll spend it
with friends and family, or maybe hiking or something like that.
KW: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?
KP: No. [Laughs]
KW: The Teri Emerson question: When was the last time you had a good laugh?
KP: This morning with John Cho. He's a hilarious guy who always makes me
laugh.
KW: What is your guiltiest pleasure?
KP: Oh man, the TV show "Jerseylicious."
KW: The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?
The Heart and the Fist: The education of a humanitarian, the making of a Navy SEAL
Click to order via Amazon
KP: "The Heart and the Fist" by Eric Greitens.
KW: The music maven Heather Covington question: What was the last song you
listened to?
KP: "Galaxies"
by Owl City.
KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?
KP: Grapefruit salad.
KW: Do you eat White Castle hamburgers?
KP: No.
KW: The Sanaa Lathan question: What excites you?
KP: What doesn't! [Laughs]
KW: Dante Lee, author of "Black Business Secrets", asks: "What was the best
business decision you ever made?"
KP: I don't know.
KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?
KP: Myself.
KW: If you could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for?
KP: World peace.
KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?
KP: Christmas.
KW: The Melissa Harris-Perry question How did your first big heartbreak
impact who you are as a person?
KP: I don't really know.
KW: The Judyth Piazza questions: How do you define success?
KP: By happiness, not by what other people say.
KW: What advice do you have for anyone who wants to follow in your
footsteps?
KP: Don't follow in anyone's footsteps. Definitely create your own.
Hopefully, that's how you define your happiness.
KW: The Tavis Smiley question: How do you want to be remembered?
KP: I want to be forgotten. [Laughs]
KW: Thanks again for the interview, Kal, and best of luck with both "Harold
& Kumar" and with working with President Obama.
KP: Thank you very much, Kam, and good to talk to you.
Related Links
A
Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas [2011] - Film Review
http://aalbc.com/reviews/a_very_harold.html