Kal Penn to Play Anna Nicole Smith's Doctor in Movie About Model's Shocking Death at 39

Kal Penn will star as Dr. Sandeep Kapoor in 'Trust Me, I'm a Doctor'

Kal Penn is making a movie about Anna Nicole Smith's final days and the doctor who became linked to her 2007 sudden death before being acquitted of charges.

The actor will star in and executive produce Trust Me, I’m a Doctor, based on the 2017 book Trust Me, I'm A Doctor: My Life Before, During and After Anna Nicole Smith by Dr. Sandeep Kapoor, according to Variety. Penn, 46, confirmed the news on his Instagram Story.

The outlet reported that the Smith role has not been cast yet, and filming is expected to begin in Toronto this spring.

Smith was found dead of an accidental drug overdose at age 39 in a Florida hotel room on Feb. 8, 2007.

Investigators eventually charged several people in Smith’s inner circle with felonies related to her death. Kapoor, a Los Angeles physician, was alleged to have prescribed Smith with methadone and Vicodin, among other drugs.

Related: What Really Happened to Anna Nicole Smith? The Loves, the Lies and Her Over-the-Top Life (Exclusive)

In 2009, he was charged with eight felonies, including conspiring to furnish controlled substances, unlawfully prescribing a controlled substance and obtaining fraudulent prescriptions. He was later cleared on all charges after the court found no significant evidence of wrongdoing.

Kapoor, a decade after Smith's death, said on the docuseries Scandal Made Me Famous that the model "was not an addict" and addressed how his relationship with Smith gained tabloid attention when photos surfaced of the two cuddling at a Pride parade.

“I wouldn’t necessarily really classify her as a friend because it was one social occasion. I mean, a friend is someone you go to dinner with and hang out with on a regular basis," he said at the time. "So it was that one day at the charity parade. I would say, yes, I made a misjudgment."

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"[My misjudgment] was to party with her and to be seen in a very compromising position with her,” he added at the time. “I’m not even gonna downplay it. It is what it is. I’m a human being and, you know, I made a mistake that day. Before that, I’d never been having any kind of social relationship, and after that, I didn’t have any social relationship with her."

"But, of course," continued Kapoor, "when you’re working with someone who has chronic pain and who relies on you for their medical care, it’s about trust. I certainly cared what happened to her.”

Another separate Smith biopic is also coming soon: Hurricanna stars Sylvia Hoeks, Holly Hunter, Mark Duplass and Nicholas Hamilton.

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