Rise of Kal Penn, no lawyers needed

Harry Mok
December 1, 2006

Penn made a name for himself in Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, had a role in Superman Returns and will be a villian in next season's 24 on TV.

As an Asian American actor, Penn's gotten rare opportunities in Hollywood. A study by a UCLA professor says minority actors could have grounds to sue over studio casting practices.

"Casting directors take into account race and sex in a way that would be blatantly illegal in any other industry," said study author Russell Robinson, UCLA acting professor of law.

It would be interesting to see the outcome if an actor were to sue. At the very least, it might be a wake up call to studios and producers in Hollywood.

Until that happens, there's a ray of hope with Penn's new movie. It's bound to be a flick filled with alcohol induced, adolescent fun. If you're into that, go see it. And even if you're not, go see it. Short of a lawsuit, the box office may be the only way to send a message to the entertainment industry on how it needs to more inclusive of Asian Americans and other minority groups. Taj is a rare opportunity to send that message.

Contributor: 

Harry Mok

Editor in chief

Editor in Chief Harry Mok wrote about growing up on a Chinese vegetable farm for the second issue of Hyphen and has been a volunteer editor since 2004. As a board member of the San Francisco and New York chapters of the Asian American Journalists Association, Harry has recruited and organized events for student members. He holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley, where he was also a graduate student instructor in the Asian American Studies Department.

Comments

Comments

Anonymous wrote on Fri, 12/01/2006 - 10:21pm
YOU ARE ABOUT TO WITNESS A BOX OFFICE FLOP
MudPhud Girl wrote on Mon, 12/04/2006 - 12:28pm
"YOU ARE ABOUT TO WITNESS A BOX OFFICE FLOP"
...i don't think there was ever a question about it, lol.-MPG
Harry wrote on Mon, 12/04/2006 - 5:23pm
Yeah, there were six other people in the theater where I saw it, and I can see why nobody was there. It kind of sucked. No, not kind of, it did suck.The screenplay was horrible and none of the jokes were that funny.Hope sequel to Harold and Kumar is better. I also hope Taj's flop doesn't affect Harold and Kumar's chances of being made.