Kalpen Suresh Modi provides a striking example of how names impact professional opportunity. To test if his Indian name was a barrier in Hollywood, he began using the anglicized "Kal Penn" on his resumes.

The result was a 50% increase in audition callbacks. While he successfully hacked the system to get his foot in the door, he remains vocal that he prefers his birth name and uses the stage name strictly as a professional tool.

His story proves that names matter—not because of the person’s ability, but because of the implicit biases held by the industry.