Kal Penn And Andy Samberg Talk Namesake … Sort Of

Kal Penn, last seen as a creepy killer on Law and Order: SVU, next hits theaters as the star of The Namesake, directed by Mira Nair. The film, which spans decades in the life of an American-born son of Indian immigrants, may not automatically pop up on the radar of Penn’s legions of fans, who know the actor primarily for his work in the stoner classic Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle. So how do you bridge the gap between the art house contingent and the millions of kids who bought tickets for Van Wilder 2? If you’re Fox Searchlight, you create a viral video, featuring a cameo from the current top heartthrob of the YouTube set, SNL’s Andy Samberg.

The video, which is posted on Searchlight’s site, bills itself as an interview, but it’s really more of a sketch riffing on the fact that the audience that follows Penn is probably not aware of the epic novel on which the film is based. Definitely check out the video for a laugh, but if you’re looking for more info on the movie itself, a heap of reviews have already made it to Rotten Tomatoes.