'Designated Survivor' cast updates: Actor Kal Penn speaks up on bigotry and Syrian refugees; Fundraising campaign now at over US$800,000

Actor Kal Penn, who plays White House Press Secretary Seth Wright on ABC’s political thriller “Designated Survivor,” has taken his advocacy farther than his role in a show. Penn has some experience working as a public engagement advisor under the Obama administration, making the issue quite a personal one. Recently, in response to a man who left a racist comment in one of his social media accounts, he started a fundraising campaign.

Fans might have seen Penn’s lighter side as a stoner from the “Harold and Kumar” movies but he has showed a different side of him this time. The project that he recently launched is named “Kal Penn’s Fundraiser: Donating to Syrian Refugees in the Name of the Dude Who Said I Don’t Belong in America.”

Penn’s real name is Kalpen Suresh Modi. He was born in Montclair, New Jersey, to parents from Gujarat, Western India. Last week, he received a bigoted tweet that said that he does not belong in this country and the he is a “f------ joke.” Irked by this racist comment, the actor calmly and sensibly responded by starting a CrowdRise fundraising page, which was specifically named after the tweeter’s name. Given the current political situation in the US, donations were not surprisingly quick to flow in.

This fundraiser was announced through his official Twitter account where he posted a link. The money that this campaign will receive will benefit the International Rescue Committee, with Penn emphasising that “We are better than the hateful people who tell us that we don’t belong to our country and that America cannot be a beacon of freedom and hope for refugees around the world.” He then urged readers to help turn their bigotry, along with PEOTUS Donald Trump’s, into love.

Penn has been constantly updating his followers with how the fundraiser is doing and the results have so far been overwhelmingly positive. By Sunday morning, the page had already raised US$199,566 (AU$259,480), which constitutes 80 percent of its initial US$250,000 (AU$325,000) goal. The page even managed to raise US$5,000 (AU$6,500) in its first half hour and some notable donors were cockily named Steve Bannon, Kellyanne Conway, First Lady Melania Trump and even Donald Trump.

As of this writing, the fundraising page has raised over US$827,000 (AU$1.075 million), with a new goal set at $US$850,000 (AU$1.1 million). Penn says that he is speechless seeing the page rake in an amount that is hundreds of times more that its original target. The account remains open.

Catch more of Kal Penn as President Kirkman’s (Kiefer Sutherland) witty press secretary when “Designated Survivor” comes back for season 2 in March. The political drama airs on ABC in the US. Australian fans can catch up on the action via Netflix Australia.

Read More: 'Designated Survivor' season 2 cast updates: Veteran actor confirms recurring role, posts intriguing photo in the White House oval

Kal Penn