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Mumbai, April 19 (IANS) His real name is Kalpesh Suresh Modi but this Indian American actor is known by his stage name Kal Penn. Seen as the fulcrum of cultural displacement in &#39The Namesake&#39, the actor says his ethnic background did make his struggle harder in Hollywood.

&#39Being an actor is tough no matter what your ethnic background, but adding race to the game makes things hundreds of times harder. Starting out for me was particularly difficult,&#39 Penn told IANS in an interview.

&#39In the workplace, it&#39s tough to get seen for roles that aren&#39t written with a specific &#39look&#39 in mind, so there are times when one makes a decision to take a role based on the need to build a resume rather than an artistic outlet,&#39 he added.

The actor, seen in &#39National Lampoon&#39s Van Wilder&#39 and &#39Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle&#39, admits that he is on a roller coaster ride after &#39The Namesake&#39.

Acting with Tabu and Irrfan Khan, Penn says, was &#39inspiring&#39.

&#39In real life they are way too young to play my parents, but their remarkable transformations are a testament to their brilliance. Once the cameras rolled, there was never any doubt in my mind that as Gogol, my parents were standing before me - not actors. Their talent and commitment made my job so much easier.&#39

Excerpts from the interview:

Q: Does Kal Penn have a life beyond movies?

A: I&#39ve actually been fortunate enough to be working nearly non-stop since &#39The Namesake&#39. Right after that film, which we shot in New York and Kolkata, I was living in Sydney while shooting &#39Superman Returns&#39. I came back from that to shoot the TV series &#3924&#39 then headed to Romania for &#39Van Wilder 2&#39. After that, I was back in the States, living in Louisiana for the &#39Harold and Kumar 2&#39 shoot, and then moved back to Los Angeles to shoot the TV series &#39House&#39. Life beyond movies is just beginning.

Q: What about Bollywood? How familiar are you with Hindi films?

A: I love watching movies. Some of my favourite Bollywood films are &#39Mr. & Mrs. Iyer&#39, &#39Kuch Kuch Hota Hai&#39, &#391942 - A Love Story&#39 and &#39Don&#39 (the original). As far as actors go, of course Amitabh Bachchan is a given. I am a big fan of Kajol as well. I also like Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukerji and Preity Zinta.

Q: &#39The Namesake&#39, I&#39m sure, has changed your life and career. To what extent has this cathartic masterpiece affected you as a person?

A: The film itself was the most artistically rewarding experience of my life to date. Having the opportunity to work with such incredible, talented folks like Mira Nair, Jhumpa Lahiri, Sooni Taraporewala and a cast as remarkable as Tabu and Irrfan Khan was so inspiring, I can&#39t even begin to describe it.

The experience I had working on &#39The Namesake&#39 showed me that it was possible to tell a refined, compelling story that is as universal as it is personal.

Q: The film uses your character as the central force that brings the theme of the diaspora to the surface. Were you, as a second-generation Indian-American, affected by the theme of reaching into the Indian roots?

A: I think in some ways the second-generation themes resonated with me, but what drew me to the character was his relationship with his family and the world around him. In a lot of ways I think this transcends being Indian American and actually amalgamates ethnicity into the global world in which we live.

Q: How hard has the struggle to establish yourself been? Is it tough being an Asian actor in the US?

A: Being an actor is tough no matter what your ethnic background, but adding race to the game makes things hundreds of times harder. Starting out for me was particularly difficult. There wasn&#39t and still isn&#39t relatively, much support for the arts in the South Asian American community.

In the workplace, it&#39s tough to get seen for roles that aren&#39t written with a specific &#39look&#39 in mind, so there are times when one makes a decision to take a role based on the need to build a resume rather than an artistic outlet.

Things are certainly changing in Hollywood, but the more writers and directors the community can produce, the faster these changes will take place I think.

Q: &#39Harold & Kumar&#39 was another turning point in your career. How have you avoided playing the stereotypical thickly accented desi in American films?

A: I don&#39t think I have managed to entirely avoid that. While I&#39ve certainly turned down stereotypical projects in the past, in my first film called &#39National Lampoon&#39s Van Wilder&#39, I was playing a thickly accented exchange student named Taj Mahal. You can&#39t get much more stereotypical than that! Luckily, I had the chance to shoot a follow-up - &#39Van Wilder 2&#39, which has a plot that&#39s more about personality than nationality.

Had I not done the first &#39Van Wilder&#39 though, I probably wouldn&#39t have had the chance to work on &#39Harold and Kumar&#39. And without Mira&#39s son Zohran and his friend Sam being huge &#39Harold and Kumar&#39 fans pestering her to allow me to audition, I probably wouldn&#39t have had the chance to do that film either. It&#39s been an interesting road full of conscious decisions and a lot of luck.

Q: How was your interaction with Tabu and Irrfan? Both too young to play your parents, and yet so right!

A: In real life they are way too young to play my parents, but their remarkable transformations are a testament to their brilliance. Once the cameras rolled, there was never any doubt in my mind that as Gogol, my parents were standing before me - not actors. Their talent and commitment made my job so much easier.

Q: Do you visit Mumbai, your native city?

A: I try to visit India as much as possible. I was born in the US, but have lots of family in Mumbai, so I do try to visit every chance I can get.