On Kal Penn

Some of my earlier posts have expressed slight disdain for over-hyped young South Asians in the media. You would think I'm supposed to have some sort of second-generation pride over their success, but I find most of them rather annoying and disengaged from the "community" they receive credit for representing (or not - some deny having much to do with it in the first place when clearly their popularity is based on some novelty in being South Asian).

One such star who I previously scorned but am about 33% in love with right now is Kal Penn. While I'm no huge fan of the Harold & Kumar movies, I always thought John Cho was amazing and wish he appeared more often in Ugly Betty. I don't know about you, but I've always thought that the quirky and strangely loveable Asian guy is far more inviting than the quirky but annoying Indian guy.

In "The Namesake," Penn didn't have much to do other than be a little confused, and even then, his face doesn't flex much in the way of expression. He's almost too much of an average guy. In fact, every time I look at his face, I feel like I should go back home, accompany my parents to a dinner party, find him spooning butter chicken into his plate at the buffet, and then awkwardly bump into him at the bar.

Enter Dr. Kutner on ABC's "House." If I were ever to date or marry an Indian doctor as per the wish of many, it would have to be a fake one and be Kal Penn-as-Dr. Lawrence Kutner. I find his portrayal oddly intelligent, and I have a 6th sense telling me that this character might be closer to Penn's own personality. Something about having less to express suits Penn, and given that Kutner is a bit mysterious and almost blank at times, the role has done him some good. Even when Kutner is acting up, Penn doesn't get annoying and there isn't butter chicken and a drink flying all over the place.

Clearly, I prefer more Kutner and less Kumar, although with a name like Lawrence Kutner, it's unclear whether the character is supposed to be South Asian or not. All the more intriguing, and all the more reason to watch his story unfold.