So Penn, born Kalpen Suresh Modi, snagged the role. “It’s a dream come true,” says the New Jersey-bred son of an Indian engineer and his chemist wife—and a long way from school plays like You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, which got him interested in acting. Inspired by Nair’s ’91 movie Mississippi Masala—”It was the first time I saw people who look like me in the movies”—the UCLA grad headed for Hollywood. Still, he’s hedging his bets, studying international security at Stanford. “Art can make you happier than a full-time job,” says Penn. “But I’d like to run for office someday.”

First Case of Stage Fright: 1980
At 3, Penn made his acting debut in a preschool play about a strawberry patch. “I was terrified,” he recalls. “I’m still pretty quiet. Most people don’t realize that because of the roles that I take.”

Big Break: Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)
“I get recognized as Kumar,” says Penn, who is shooting the sequel to White Castle. After a string of bit parts, the movie “was my first big role.”

TV Exposure: 24 (2007)
“I was the terrorist next door,” says Penn of his stint as a baddie on the Fox hit. “I took a whole family hostage.” Up next on the tube? The Call, a comedy pilot about EMTs from 24′s creators.

Rising Star: The Namesake (2007)
“I wrote [director] Mira Nair a letter begging for the part,” says Penn of his role in the movie version of Jhumpa Lahiri’s best-selling 2003 novel. “I was like, ‘I want this role. What do I have to do to get it?’”