Penn Ditches TV 'House' for White House

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posted: 118 DAYS 22 HOURS AGO

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(April 7) -- Kal Penn, the actor who shot to fame as a buffoon in 'Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle' and then landed a role on FOX's 'House,' is giving up his primetime acting gig for something a bit more serious: a job at the White House.

In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly's Mike Ausiello, Penn confirms that it was his decision to leave 'House' in order to become the "associate director in the White House office of public liaison." To make things easier, on last night's episode of 'House' his Kutner character shot himself in the head out of nowhere ... making an easy if not confusing way for him to exit the hit drama.

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As for his new role, Penn says he will "do 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. It's similar to what I was doing on the campaign."

And while it may sound lofty and glamorous, Penn will be taking a huge pay cut for ditching Hollywood for public service.

"There's not a lot of financial reward in these jobs. But, obviously, the opportunity to serve in a capacity like this is an incredible honor," he said.

Penn says this transition has been a long time in the making.

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Fans Pay Repsect to Penn's Kutner Character

"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."

Still, that doesn't mean he's officially done with getting in front of the camera for movies or television forever.

"Who's to say where any path leads? I still have a passion for it. But for the time being, I won't be acting," he says.

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2009-04-07 08:03:42

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