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Standing on an orange bench in Laundry 101 on Gilman Street Thursday, actors Kal Penn and Brandon Routh campaigned for Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., in front of a large crowd of University of Wisconsin students and community members.

Kal Penn, better known as Kumar from the 2004 movie ?Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle,? and Brandon Routh, who played Superman in ?Superman Returns,? finished their busy day in Madison after stopping in La Crosse, Eau Claire and River Falls.

Laundry 101 is the current site of the Students for Obama headquarters, and Penn was quick to notice the unique location.

?This reminds me I have, like, three pairs of boxers left,? Penn said. ?I should have brought some laundry with me.?

According to the actors, Obama is the candidate who can truly effect change in the nation. Penn said Obama is not just a politician, but a ?true statesman.?

?When Sen. Obama becomes president, I?m going to be able to see the changes that I want in the world come to life,? Routh said.

Penn told the crowd the story of a friend who drives a truck for minimum wage and was offered $90,000 per year to drive a truck in Iraq.

According to Penn, this made him aware of the problems with America.

?I remember thinking that it was really sad to me that the world?s richest country could only offer two opportunities to my friend who wanted to go to college, and those were minimum wage or 90 grand in a war zone,? Penn said.

Penn added he believes Obama already is a generation-defining leader like John F. Kennedy was in his time.

?I?ve never been as inspired by anyone since my grandparents, and my grandparents marched with Ghandi in the civil rights movement in India,? Penn said.

According to Routh, the opportunity to elect Obama is a chance the young generation cannot miss, adding, ?We haven?t had our movement, our thing to get behind.?

Routh said he was wary of becoming active in the campaign because of a common criticism that celebrities have no business in politics. However, he said he had been ?blown away? by Obama?s speech in Los Angeles, and Penn also convinced him to participate.

He said he decided to take the step, however, because he really believes in the cause.

?There?s a certain amount of notoriety and respect that?s there, and we don?t want to abuse that,? Routh said. ?It?s important for me to invest in my future. This is my future, and I didn?t want to sit around and let others do all the work.?

Penn played a role in Season 6 of Fox?s popular drama ?24,? which did not escape the notice of the crowd.

When asked after his speech, Penn said he would endorse Obama over ?24? character Jack Bauer, saying one is real and the other is fictional.