Mixing it up with Kal Penn of 'House'

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SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- "House" co-star Kal Penn is finding TV work to be a bit of a mystery."The challenge seems to be that you don't know anything about the character as you play them," the 31-year-old Penn says."That's the exact opposite from working on a film, where you have the entire script to tell you about who you're playing.""House" (8 p.m. EST Tuesdays, Fox) is Penn's first turn as a series regular. For the bulk of his career, he's been known for his frat-boy feature films, such "National Lampoon's Van Wilder," "Epic Movie" and "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle," a stoner comedy and perhaps his signature role to date.With "House," he's now playing with the adults."The kind of joy and challenge in television is that you're learning something new with every script," he says. "I'm not 21 anymore. While I like doing 'Harold & Kumar' movies, I definitely want to make sure I'm breaking out and doing other stuff as well."Penn plays Dr. Lawrence Kutner, an intern who has to navigate the volatile world of his mentor, Dr. House (Hugh Laurie).Kutner comes out of the "Kumar" mold. He's a "frat boy" with an interest in sports medicine. Penn likes that Kutner has found a balance between being a frat boy and being a serious professional."When the opportunity for the series came up, I welcomed it," he says. "I like mixing up my roles. I did '24' and I did 'House.' Then I did (the sequel) to 'Harold & Kumar.' I like mixing it up that way."Then he looks at how he's dressed during the interview -- rumpled shirt and jeans. "I guess I'm not too concerned with image," he deadpans.Penn also has an academic side. When he has time, he guest lectures at colleges, mainly touching on the mass-media industry and psychology.Up until he started on "House," the public recognized Penn from his role as Kumar, a marijuana-smoking college student who loves mini-burgers. Now that he's on "House," how's the response been?"More people know me from 'House,' " he says. "I probably get more people asking me for more medical advice than asking me for marijuana."(E-mail Terry Morrow of The Knoxville News-Sentinel in Tennessee at morrow2(at)knews.com.)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)