Harold & Kumar star Kal Penn has been cast in an upcoming FX LGBTQ+ series about coming out later in life.
According to a report from Deadline, Penn has signed on to star in the FX comedy pilot Belated from Rescue Me creator Peter Tolan.
The new half-hour series follows Owen (Penn) as he navigates life after coming out in his 40s. With the help of his ex-wife, the two explore their new normal as co-parents, the diverse LGBTQ+ community, and creating new relationships.
Penn’s character has been described as “intelligent with dry wit” who seems to have his life “all figured out” before it all changes after a random hook up with another man.
“He had a great wife and family, a home in a quaint, upscale Connecticut town, and a distinguished job as the head of pediatrics at a top New York City hospital,” the description read.
Shortly after the news was announced, Penn took to Instagram to celebrate the upcoming series, writing: “This script is incredible! Couldn’t be more excited & thankful to be joining.”
The show has also been described as a personal project for both Tolan and Penn – who both came out in their later years.
Earlier this month, Penn revealed to the public that he was gay during the promotion of his memoir, You Can’t Be Serious.
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“I’ve always been very public with everybody I’ve personally interacted with. Whether it’s somebody that I meet at a bar, if Josh and I are out or we’re talking to friends,” he explained.
“I’m really excited to share our relationship with readers. But Josh, my partner, my parents, and my brother, four people who I’m closest to in the family, are fairly quiet. They don’t love attention and shy away from the limelight.”
Penn’s memoir also gave fans insight into how he fell in love with his partner Josh and the impact NASCAR had on their relationship.
“I thought, ‘This obviously is not going to work out,’ I have one day off from The White House and this dude is unironically watching cars go around and make left turns,” he said.
“Next thing you know, it’s been a couple months and we’re watching NASCAR every Sunday. I’m like, ‘What is happening?’ I wanted the reader to enjoy the love and the humor through all of those stories.”
Over the last few months, Penn has remained booked and busy with numerous projects in production.
Alongside his upcoming role on Belated and his new memoir, Penn has been busy executive producing a new holiday film Hot Mess Holiday for Comedy Central.
The project will be the first Diwali holiday movie for the comedy network.
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