 "Photo:")
There are 130 confirmed guests to the Facebook event "Kumar Comes to UD," but only one of them is recognizable as the star of such films and television shows as "The Namesake," "House M.D." and "Van Wilder." That Facebook member goes by the name of Kal Penn, and don't call him Kumar.
As he walks into the lounge of the George Read North residence hall on Saturday, Feb. 2, students and non-students alike applaud with enthusiasm. He is there to speak with them, not about his job as an actor, but about his current title - political volunteer.
Penn, whose real name is Kalpen Modi, is currently on a country-wide tour speaking to crowds, like the one at George Read, in support of Barack Obama, who he casually claims is the next president of the United States.
"I meet all these kids who can't afford to go to college and they still watch movies, they spend money on a DVD and that's how I have a job," Penn says. "I would just love for my friends to have the things that those of us who are fortunate enough to be at a university take for granted, and Barack is the only one who's going to be able to provide that."
He's casual and funny, mixing humor with hopeful stories of young voters who spent $12 donating to the campaign instead of buying a few pints and grateful new citizens voting for the first time.
"This is the movement," he says pointing to the crowd during his speech. "This is what it looks like."
Penn says he is a registered Independent and has never been politically oriented. After the senator's speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, however, Penn quickly hopped on the Obama train.
He says since joining the campaign, he has met countless inspiring people and even spent some time with the senator himself.
"He's the same guy in a room of five that he is in a room of 5,000," he says. "So when you're with him before the speeches, he's an incredibly funny guy, an incredibly intelligent person. He really values all the student organizers that work with him."
As he walks down North College Avenue on his way to Klondike Kate's for another Obama support rally, a student walks by and recognizes him.
"KUMAR!"
Penn, deep in political conversation with his entourage of Obama supporters, gives the fan a polite wave. However, "Kumar" is the last thing he wants to be called.
"I'm from New Jersey, that's probably the only similarity I have with the character," Penn says. "I've played an exchange student, I've played a guy who's going to get burgers, I've played an architect - none of those are me in real life. I think everyone knows that Anthony Hopkins, even though he was in 'Silence of the Lambs' and played a cannibal, he doesn't eat people in real life."
In a similar vein, Penn, unlike his popular character, doesn't smoke marijuana and was a vegetarian while filming "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle."
"Sometimes you don't know an actor's name so you say 'Hey Gogle' or 'Hey Dr. Kutner,' " he says. "That happens for any actor, but I think most people know that I'm nothing like the characters that I play, which is nice."
He stops on the patio at Kate's to take pictures and sign autographs for fans, making small talk - mostly about politics - before schmoozing with more Obama supporters upstairs.
With the writers' strike still in effect, Penn says he has time to pursue activities outside of acting.
"Sorry you guys have to watch reruns," he says with a laugh.
However, with politics, Penn says he's following in the footsteps of his grandparents, who marched with Gandhi. As for the field itself, he says his foray into politics is not a permanent place.
"I've had the great fortune of playing a bunch of different types of characters. I'd love to continue doing that," he says. "Politics is totally separate. I'm just doing that as a guy who was inspired by his grandparents and now is inspired by Barack."
Follow us on Twitter
Subscribe to our feed
Contact us through email
Be the first to comment on this article!