British actor Hugh Laurie has fired back at a journalist who criticised his Emmy-nominated series House, despite previously describing the show as a “nightmare.”
It has been almost 15 years since the medical drama wrapped after an eight-season run, but Laurie remains passionate and protective about the role. When freelance journalist Janet Murray tweeted that the show followed the same narrative every episode, the 66-year-old actor quickly responded.
“Late to the party, but I’ve started watching Season 1 of House,” Murray wrote on X. “Same narrative every episode: Patient has mysterious illness. Hugh Laurie (House) gets diagnosis wrong. Patient nearly dies. Hugh Laurie gets diagnosis wrong again. Gets threatened with being fired. Patient nearly dies again. Hugh Laurie has last minute leftfield idea. Gets diagnosis right. Doesn’t get fired.” She added, “Eight seasons of this?”
Laurie, who won two Golden Globes for his role as Dr. Gregory House, replied: “Thanks for your critique, Janet. We actually tried a couple of episodes where House (Hugh Laurie) (please put the brackets in the right place) gets it right first time, but they were only 6 minutes long. NBC weren’t happy. Then we tried some where House never gets it right and the patient dies. The audience wasn’t happy.”
He continued: “One could apply your trenchant analysis to other art forms: JS Bach wrote 30 Goldberg variations on the same chord structure; Frida Kahlo painted 50 portraits of herself; Henry Moore, what?? The point is, or was, variations on a theme; if all you see is hospital, medical blah blah, then it wasn’t meant for you.” He signed off: “Nonetheless, I look forward to your first novel!”
Murray responded: “Well this was unexpected. And not the slightest bit patronising,” with a laughing emoji.
Despite House being Laurie’s best-known role, he has no interest in reprising the character. Last year, on the Doctor Mike podcast, host Dr. Mikhail Varshavski revealed that Laurie’s staff said he “is not interested in opportunities like this, frankly doesn’t care about the audience or reliving the show.”
Laurie was reportedly the highest paid actor on US television during the show’s run, earning about $US700,000 per episode. He once described that period as a “nightmare,” saying in a 2013 interview, “I had some pretty bleak times, dark days when it seemed like there was no escape.”
