Actor Kal Penn to work for White House

WASHINGTON, April 7 (UPI) -- Actor Kal Penn says he has left his TV drama "House" to accept the position of associate director in the White House office of public liaison in Washington.

"I was incredibly honored a couple of months ago to get the opportunity to go work in the White House. I got to know (President Barack) Obama and some of the staff during the campaign and had expressed interest in working there, so I'm going to be the associate director in the White House office of public liaison," the 31-year-old actor told EW.com. "They 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."

Asked if he was bracing for a huge pay cut, Penn admitted: "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."

Penn, who attended a performing arts high school, then went to UCLA to study film and sociology, said he started taking online international studies classes through Stanford University in 2006.

The actor's film credits include "The Namesake" and "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle."