QUICK TAKES - April 8, 2009

Kal Penn, known for his role as a stoned underachiever in the “Harold & Kumar” movies, is putting aside the doobie -- and his role as Dr. Kutner on Fox’s “House” -- in exchange for a new job at the White House.

The actor has been hired as an associate director at the Office of Public Liaison, where he will help the Obama administration connect with arts and entertainment groups as well as the Asian and Pacific Islander communities, according to an Associated Press report.

Entertainment Weekly broke the story Tuesday in an interview on its website in which Penn stated that he will “do outreach with the American public and with different organizations.”

“House” viewers were shocked when his Kutner character committed suicide on Monday night’s episode, to write him off the show.

Penn was a vocal supporter of Obama during his presidential campaign. The actor was one of the speakers at Obama’s inaugural concert at the Lincoln Memorial. He also participated in various rallies for the candidate on the campaign trail. Recently, the actor taught a course in Asian Americans and the media at the University of Pennsylvania.

-- David Ng