Spring Break
The Daily OrangeQ&A with actor Kal Penn
By Darren Benda
Posted: 11/17/08, 1:28 AM EST Section: Feature
The Daily Orange sat down with "Harold and Kumar" star Kal Penn after his lecture Saturday night in Goldstein Auditorium.
On what it's like to be Kal Penn:
There's a difference between the way that people perceive you when you're an actor and know who you actually are. So I think that sometimes it's interesting to see when people realize that there's a difference. On occasion, you'll get folks that are surprised you did a bunch of teen movies and you're actually teaching a college class. But I also majored in sociology, so it's interesting to see the reaction to people based on the roles that they have played.
Penn on his dream acting job:
I really wanted to play Gogol in "The Namesake." I really fought for that role. And I have yet to work on something that is as fulfilling as that. The other thing that I really wanted to play, Freddy Mercury. Seriously, his real name is Farrokh. He was born in Africa of Indian parents, and Sacha Baron Cohen is playing the role.
Penn on what's next:
Just working on "House" right now, and then we'll see.
Penn on what he's most proud of:
"The Namesake," most definitely, because the story actually reminded me a lot of "Catcher in the Rye." To me, that story was not about ethnicity, it wasn't about immigrants. It was about what it means to be American. I'm a fairly patriotic guy and that patriotism comes in the notion that we're a country made up of folks from everywhere, which reminded me of "Catcher in the Rye."
Penn on his support for President-elect Barack Obama:
I need to point out that I am a registered Independent, so I have voted for Democrats and Republicans both before, depending on the type of election. Barack had never taken a dime from federal lobbyists and opposed to the Iraq war from the beginning. That kind of integrity, I think, was something that I had never seen in my lifetime. The guy was a civil rights lawyer and taught constitutional law for 10 years. All of those things, especially after the last eight years, make it incredible to have a president who has had those experiences. I'm really honored to be a small part of that whole thing.
Penn on which character he's related to most:
Probably Gogol from "The Namesake." Not because of any of the shared family type of stuff. Mostly because that character is very passionate about his job like I am.
Penn on Syracuse:
I had a lot of friends from high school who went here; Jersey guys. I love it. I wish I had more time here. Syracuse puts out incredibly intelligent, motivated artists and people who work in mass media, so I was looking forward to some of the Q and A also.
dhbenda@syr.edu
On what it's like to be Kal Penn:
There's a difference between the way that people perceive you when you're an actor and know who you actually are. So I think that sometimes it's interesting to see when people realize that there's a difference. On occasion, you'll get folks that are surprised you did a bunch of teen movies and you're actually teaching a college class. But I also majored in sociology, so it's interesting to see the reaction to people based on the roles that they have played.
Penn on his dream acting job:
I really wanted to play Gogol in "The Namesake." I really fought for that role. And I have yet to work on something that is as fulfilling as that. The other thing that I really wanted to play, Freddy Mercury. Seriously, his real name is Farrokh. He was born in Africa of Indian parents, and Sacha Baron Cohen is playing the role.
Penn on what's next:
Just working on "House" right now, and then we'll see.
Penn on what he's most proud of:
"The Namesake," most definitely, because the story actually reminded me a lot of "Catcher in the Rye." To me, that story was not about ethnicity, it wasn't about immigrants. It was about what it means to be American. I'm a fairly patriotic guy and that patriotism comes in the notion that we're a country made up of folks from everywhere, which reminded me of "Catcher in the Rye."
Penn on his support for President-elect Barack Obama:
I need to point out that I am a registered Independent, so I have voted for Democrats and Republicans both before, depending on the type of election. Barack had never taken a dime from federal lobbyists and opposed to the Iraq war from the beginning. That kind of integrity, I think, was something that I had never seen in my lifetime. The guy was a civil rights lawyer and taught constitutional law for 10 years. All of those things, especially after the last eight years, make it incredible to have a president who has had those experiences. I'm really honored to be a small part of that whole thing.
Penn on which character he's related to most:
Probably Gogol from "The Namesake." Not because of any of the shared family type of stuff. Mostly because that character is very passionate about his job like I am.
Penn on Syracuse:
I had a lot of friends from high school who went here; Jersey guys. I love it. I wish I had more time here. Syracuse puts out incredibly intelligent, motivated artists and people who work in mass media, so I was looking forward to some of the Q and A also.
dhbenda@syr.edu
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