Kal Penn Quits Acting for the White House
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WENN.com
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Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Actor/producer Kal Penn has left hit TV show House to work for President Barack Obama.
The 31-year-old actor has accepted a position as the associate director in the White House's Office of Public Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs.
Penn -- also known for his role in stoner comedies Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle and Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo -- was (SPOILER ALERT!) written out of the TV drama in an episode that aired on Monday.
And he's preparing to leave acting behind for good even though the salary for the government job is far less than the money he makes from his career on screen.
He tells Entertainment Weekly, "(The Office of Public Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs does) outreach with the American public and with different organizations. They're basically the front door of the White House. They take out all of the red tape that falls between the general public and the White House.
"I love what I do as an actor. I couldn't love it more. But probably from the time I was a kid, I really enjoyed that balance between the arts and public service. I thought this might be the right time to go off and do something else.
"There's not a lot of financial reward in these jobs. Obviously, the opportunity to serve in a capacity like this is an incredible honor."
Penn is currently working on a graduate certificate in international security from California's prestigious Stanford University.
He also campaigned for Obama last year as a member of his National Arts Policy Committee.
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