Show to premiere on June 12.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: Kal Penn, the actor famous for both his comedic roles in films such as “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle” and his stint working under President Obama’s administration, recently opened up about his new television show, “The Big Picture With Kal Penn” on National Geographic Channel, to be broadcast on June 12.
According to New Zealand outlet The Citizen the show uses infographics — “think Twitter trendmaps” — to compile data that exposes bizarre facts about humans.
“I didn’t know a lot of the data, and I would always turn to the producers if all of it was accurate — all of it was really eye-opening,” Penn said.
Among the topics covered are “the unlikely strip club capital of America, a drive-in brothel in Zurich, how we can improve our chances of surviving the next global pandemic and 3D organ printing.” Many of the topics might be considered controversial or taboo.
“We didn’t approach it with shock value — for the episode covering sex between senior citizens we approached it from the angle of a couple in their 90s who fell in love again. It was fun to hear them reflect that their sex lives improved with age, Penn said. “We tried to humanize people and show their passion, and the passion they have for what they do. Like we had grasshopper farmers who catch grasshoppers to sell as food in Mexico. It was a good story to tell,” he added.
According to The Citizen, the show’s crew spent more than a year compiling footage for the show, while Penn managed to fulfill his hosting duties during a 10-day span of shooting.
The New Zealand-based newspaper noted the show is not only a breakaway from his usual fare, but also provided him with a platform to be genuinely surprised and excited about the themes of each episode, which more than likely lent an air of positive energy to the program.
1 Comment
One of the best shows in 2015… You couldn’t have picked a better host than Kal Penn as he is just doing an amazing job. I watch or DVR this show faithfully & will continue to do so…2 thumbs up!!