Kal Penn Leaves House to Work for President Obama
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Kal Penn Leaves House to Work for President Obama
Kal Penn has left Fox's House for the White House.
The 31-year-old actor -- whose character, Dr. Kutner, committed suicide on Monday's show -- tells Entertainment Weekly that it was his decision to leave the hit show to work for President Obama.
Penn will be the associate director in the White House's Office of Public Liaison & Intergovernmental Affairs -- a similar job he had while campaigning for Obama last year.
See other celebs who campaigned for Obama
"They do outreach with the American public and with different organizations," Penn explains. "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."
Penn -- known for his role in the stoner comedy Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle -- says he had been "thinking" about moving into politics "for a while."
See Barack Obama's baby photo
He took several political science courses in college and even participated in an online international studies program at Stanford in 2006.
"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," he says. "I thought this might be the right time to go off and do something else."
See the most embarrassing moments from the 2008 campaign
Penn -- who called his new gig "a relatively recent development" -- doesn't mind taking a pay cut.
"There's not a lot of financial reward in these jobs," he says. "Obviously, the opportunity to serve in a capacity like this is an incredible honor."
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Posted 4/7/09 12:34 PM |
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Long Island Weddings
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CaseyGirl
Mommy to 3 Boys :)
Member since 5/05 19978 total posts
Name: Jen - counting my blessings...
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Re: Kal Penn Leaves House to Work for President Obama
Wow!! That's very interesting. I was wondering why he left the show.
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Posted 4/7/09 1:09 PM |
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kimbalina
Bring on the glitter and bows!
Member since 6/08 15158 total posts
Name: Kim
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Re: Kal Penn Leaves House to Work for President Obama
Wow!! Good for him!
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Posted 4/7/09 1:56 PM |
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MrsPJB2007
MBA at your service!
Member since 7/06 12020 total posts
Name: MJ
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Re: Kal Penn Leaves House to Work for President Obama
good for him...doing something that isn't about the money but more about the experience and opportunity. hope he does well at his new job!
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Posted 4/7/09 2:32 PM |
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