Penn can’t stop laughing at the idea, though.
By Raif Karerat
Actor and former Obama administration advisor Kal Penn has revealed he “can’t stop laughing” after the Russian ambassador to the United Kingdom tweeted a photo of Penn playing a terrorist on film in order to illustrate a point about ISIS.
The U.S. has been apprehensive of Russian involvement in conflicts throughout the Middle East, and have reportedly informed Iraqi leaders that they will not receive U.S. aid against ISIS if they also ask for Russian assistance.
On Wednesday, Alexander Yakovenko tweeted his opinion of U.S. involvement in Iraq along with a screenshot of Penn’s most famous character, Kumar Patel.
“US threatens to stop helping Iraq against ISIL if Baghdad asks Russia for help. The terrorists must be rejoicing,” he wrote.
In the second “Harold and Kumar” movie, “Escape From Guantanamo Bay,” an elderly woman causes a panic when she sees Kumar on her flight and accuses him of being a terrorist who wants to bring down the plane. She imagines Penn’s character as a stereotyped terrorist, which is the scene captured in Yakovenko’s tweet.
Penn even replied with his own cultural caricature — a photo of Ivan Drago, the Soviet boxer who serves as the primary antagonist in “Rocky IV,” along with the message, “thank you Mr. Ambassador.”
In response, the Russian embassy dryly tweeted, “it is rather hard to spot an actual terrorist laughing. Your performance is convincing and therefore fit to illustrate the idea,” according to The Hill.