Kal Penn Not Quitting Acting

After yesterday’s announcement that he’s leaving the show House to work for the Obama administration, Kal Penn spoke out to explain that he’s not quitting showbiz, he’s just taking a break to concentrate on public service.

On Monday night, in a move that shocked viewers, his character on the medical drama, Lawrence Cutner, committed suicide, which allowed writers to write Penn off the show and him to invest in his new endeavor.

He’s taken a position as the associate director in the White House’s Office of Public Liaison & Intergovernmental Affairs. It’s a role similar to the one he held as a volunteer in Barack Obama’s campaign to become President. Kal was so committed to Obama, he moved to Iowa to work for the campaign during the 2007 Hollywood writer’s strike. 

But that doesn’t mean he’s turning his back on acting.

Kal called in to LA radio station Kost 103.5 on Wednesday morning and said, "I'm not retiring from acting... It's not a Joaquin Phoenix-style walking away [and] never coming back.

"I still have a passion for it. But for the time being, I won't be acting."

Way to call out Joaquin Phoenix! And invest in something larger than yourself.

Kal Penn is so much cooler than we ever realized.

—Sasha Perl-Raver