MELISSA BLOCK, Host: For actor Kal Penn, the road to the White House started at White Castle and took a turn through "House." The 31-year-old actor has been named an Obama administration liaison to the entertainment industry and Asian-Pacific groups.</s>MICHELE NORRIS, Host: As the character Kumar in the films "Harold and Kumar," the actor ventured into a popular hamburger joint with his best friend, that joint being the White Castle. The two were in a cloud of marijuana smoke in a routine that was much like an updated version of the Cheech and Chong comedy routines of the '60s and '70s.</s>MELISSA BLOCK, Host: The pair reprised those roles in a second film where their characters go to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Kal Penn, born Kalpen Suresh Modi in Montclair, New Jersey, hit it big as that clueless pot-smoking guy who finally discovers what he really wants to do with his life.</s>KAL PENN: (As Kumar Patel) You know, my whole life I've just been scared of being one of those nerdy Indian guys turned doctor, but tonight got me thinking. And, I mean, I think it was somewhere between that, getting yelled at by my dad and seeing Neil Patrick Harris that I realized that I've always wanted to be a doctor. I've just been...</s>MICHELE NORRIS, Host: And for his White House role, Penn had to leave his job as a doctor, a doctor that is on TV as a regular on the Fox drama "House." So, now you know why on Monday night the storyline included the suicide of Penn's character, Dr. Lawrence Kutner. Penn campaigned for Barack Obama during the presidential election campaign. The White House is yet announce a start date for Penn in his new post.
Actor Kal Penn has been named to an Obama administration liaison post that connects the Executive Branch to people in the entertainment industry and Asian-Pacific groups. Penn is best known for his portrayal of Kumar in the stoner films Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle and Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay. He was most recently in the Fox TV drama House.