Kal Penn was up against a white actor in brownface for his role in National Lampoon's Van Wilder.
The 48-year-old star played Taj Mahal Badalandabad in the 2002 comedy, and he has revealed he had extra motivation to win the role when it came down to him and one other actor.
Speaking on the Hasan Minhaj Doesn't Know podcast, Penn recalled: "“I knew at the end, it was like, ‘All right, it’s me and another actor'.
"I’m like, ‘Which brother is it?’ I’m excited that one of us is gonna get this. I open the door and it is a white dude in brownface who’s already in the waiting room.
"And my beef is generally not with other actors. Actors are desperate. We’ll do whatever it takes to get a part, right? But I was so fascinated."
Penn - who went onto appear in the likes of the Harold and Kumar franchise and Superman Returns alongside roles in shows like House,, How I Met Your Mother, American Horror Story: NYC and The Santa Clauses - found himself wondering how the unnamed actor in question ended up in that situation.
He added: "I’m like, ‘Okay, did his agent tell him to paint his face when he left? Did he do it at home or did he do it in the bathroom? If he did it at home, did it increase his chances of getting pulled over by the cops?’
"All of these thoughts going through my head.”
Penn admitted he and the actor made small talk on the day, and even hung out together on a few occasions after the audition.
However, he said: “Telling it now, you’re like, ‘Oh my God, people did brownface' Like the new Aladdin a couple of years ago had brownface with a bunch of extras, right?
"So it does still happen, obviously in a totally different way, but it was common enough, right?
"But I do remember looking at him while we’re making small talk and in my head just saying to myself, ‘He is not allowed to get that part.'”
