If I died tomorrow I would be content artistically... 
At 29 year of age Kal Penn is one of American TV and Hollywood's most recognisable Asian faces. Progressing from small independent films ,like American Desi, to a starring role as the pot smoking dude from Harold And Kumar Get The Munchies, Kal really hit the limelight playing Lex Luthor's sidekick in Superman Returns. After a string of comic performances in farces such as Epic Movie, his latest role sees him take a more serious turn in The Namesake, an adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize winning novel. Directed by Academy Award nominee Mira Nair, the drama centres on the Ganguli family who leave India to come to the US in order to experience a world of opportunities.
A sober family drama like The Namesake is a far cry from the wacky comedies you are commonly associated with. What attracted you to the film?
It is by far my favourite thing I have ever worked on. The director, Mira Nair, has been a role model of mine since eighth grade, and she's one of the reasons I'm an actor. I saw Mississippi Masala when I was young and it inspired me. So working with her, on what was also my favourite book for two years before the movie happened, was great. If I died tomorrow I would be content artistically.
How much could you identify with your character, Gogol, since you're both Indian Americans who were born and raised in New York?
I actually related to Gogol more because he reminded me of Holden Caulfield (from The Catcher in the Rye). I related to him less because of his ethnicity and more because of his personality, isolation and motivation.
Like Mira's previous films, The Namesake focuses on culture clash and identity...
That part of the story is based on Gogol's mother. She's the one who goes through the transformation. She is born in India, gets married and goes to the States and has to struggle.
The only thing that has annoyed Gogol since he was little is that he is an Indian American kid named after a Russian author, so he's confused. He's never had that whole 'Am I Asian or American?' thing, and is comfortable with who he is. That is sort of how I was brought up too. I never had that clichΓ©d struggle about who I am. My bigger issue was - how do I get to be an actor?
Bollywood stars Tabu and Irrfan Khan play your mother and father in The Namesake. Did they approach their roles from a different perspective?
No, not at all. I had seen some of their films before and it was amazing to work with them. Both Tabu and Irrfan are obviously too young to be my parents in real life but they were flawlessly convincing. Tabu is actually closer in age to me and would probably be a sibling if we did another movie together.
You've made a career from comedies. Did you always want to act the clown?
I just fell into it. When you are a young actor and starting out in LA there are pretty much two routes you can go. If you are pretty and from the Midwest you do a bunch of TV shows like One Tree Hill, and if you're not the other opportunities lie in comedy. I'm trying to expand out from that - the reason I'm an actor is because I love stories.
You are currently shooting the sequel to cult comedy Harold And Kumar Get The Munchies, in which the stoner flatmates go to Amsterdam. What can we expect from the burger-munching duo?
Some of the cameo actors are back again, like Neil Patrick Harris who's famous for playing Dougie Howser MD, and I think Snoop Dogg may have a part. The goal is initially to find Maria, who left Harold, and follow her and go to Amsterdam. There's obviously an adventure along the way. According to stuff I've read on the internet, they try to outrun authorities who suspect them of being terrorists when they try to sneak a bong on board their flight to Amsterdam. But I can't reveal if that's true.
Besides its far out humour, Harold And Kumar was noted for being the first Hollywood film to have two lead actors of Asian origin. Was it easy getting the project off the ground?
No, it was incredibly difficult to make that film because Hollywood uses this really outdated method of trying to figure out how to make movies, based on race and ethnicity. The fact that the film did especially well on DVD and video helped its creators, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg prove Hollywood wrong.
They, and myself don't believe American audiences are that racist - they are not going to watch a movie because of who's in it. And if truth be told the stuff Jon and Hayden write in the Harold And Kumar series is funny. On face value it's fart jokes, but with that there's also social commentary about race and gender in America.
Both Harold And Kumar and the Van Wilder comedies, in which you play the ludicrously named Taj Mahal Badalandabad, are crude high school comedy genre. What sort of humour appeals to you personally?
It varies. There's a seduction scene in The History Boys between a student and his teacher, where the student is saying one thing but those words have double meaning. They are not really puns but it's very clear that lyrically and literally what is being said is not being meant. I was on the floor laughing just because I love the ability to play with language and great words.
What do you make of the recent wave of British Asian actors Parminder Nagra (ER) and Naveen Andrews (Lost) seeking roles stateside? Is there more opportunity in La-La Land?
It's a sign that things are changing here too. Hollywood is a different place than it was five years ago. But I have to be careful in answering that question. I do think things are changing rapidly for me individually, but I'd be hesitant to say that things are changing as rapidly for other performers of colour. I have so many friends who went to drama school and are classic actors but still aren't getting hired because of that old method of thinking about casting. But they are getting more jobs than they were five years ago.
The Namesake opens in UK cinemas on Friday 30th March 2007.
