(Getty Images)
Dev Patel and Kal Penn, both of whom are of Indian descent, were mixed up in the Wall Street Journal’s review of the new film Lion, in which the former actor stars. The mistake was quickly pointed out on social media, and even acknowledged by Penn himself.
In his review of Lion, film critic Joe Morgenstern says Patel “gives his richest performance since The Namesake.” Despite the supposed compliment, it was Penn who starred in that 2006 film. Instead, the British-born Patel is perhaps best known for his role in Slumdog Millionaire, and has also appeared in The Last Airbender, Chappie and on HBO’s “The Newsroom.” Meanwhile, New Jersey native Penn rose to fame playing a stoner in the Harold and Kumar movies, and also appeared in Superman Returns, and had recurring roles on the TV shows “House” and “How I Met Your Mother.”
Shortly after the review emerged online, a Twitter user wrote to Morgenstern, “Dev Patel wasn’t in the Namesake. Did you mean the other brown actor (@kalpenn) or other brown film?” Penn later retweeted the message. Meanwhile, another person added, “You do realize that Dev Patel is not Kal Penn, right?” to which the critic responded, “I do. What a dumb error.” The print edition of the Wall Street Journal, which hit newsstands on Friday, still includes the blunder, but the review of Lion on the publication’s website has since been corrected.
Dev Patel was mistaken for Kal Penn in the Wall Street Journal’s review of ‘Lion.’
Friday, November 25, 2016
