We have translated the French interview to Hugh made bởi six lucky readers đã đăng on Le Parisien newspaper for those of bạn who don't understand French. It's a wonderful interview! Enjoy!
He arrives at the Parisien 15 phút late . But we forgive everything to Hugh Laurie ! Can we do otherwise when the ngôi sao of House starts to apologize right away to the 6 readers who are there to meet him? The British actor added up to 9,3 millions viewers for Season 4 broadcasted on TF1 . And he's the một giây best-seller in France with his novel " Tout est sous contrôle " (The Gun Seller) launched in January . Visiting Paris to promote his book, the man is simple, kind and attentive. He's very far from the crippled, arrogant and cynical diagnostician that he's been playing since 2004 . Coming out of the limo, the actor shows the attitude of a relaxed 50 years old (he turns 50 in June). Wearing dark brown pants, suede shoes, a black sweater and a mũ lưỡi trai, cap on his head, the actor shakes hands with everyone, makes jokes and shows his surprise of his book's success in France. During this 2 giờ inteview, he even says a few words in French, letting us know that he speaks French better than what he's showing: he would sometimes answer the các câu hỏi before the translator, a clever way to put at ease his audience which is already conquered bởi his wit and his precise answers. On the screen , Dr House scares his fellow doctors in order to save patients . In private, Mr Laurie seduces without any prescription.
How would bạn explain the success of Dr House?
HL: This hiển thị is so well written. For the last 5 years, I've never read something as good as an average episode of House. The humor, playing with concepts, the philosophy hoặc the complexity of this hiển thị are simply fascinating. This character appeals to people because we all want to act freely as he does. It's everybody's dream .
In your opinion, is he an Angel hoặc a demon?
Ah ! ( thinking ). He's not an Angel but he works with them . He's not evil either . Even with all the flaws he has, I have a lot of respect and affection for him .
To the patients, does he give hope hoặc despair?
For House, hope is secondary . The most important things are surviving and the final result. Even though for a patient, expecting to be healed helps the recovery.
He lacks of compassion and humanity, is it that the way of being a good doctor?
He's not the ideal doctor . But I don't agree about the lack of compassion and humanity (or kindness) . It's just that he doesn't feel the need to hiển thị them, that's the difference. He doesn't wait to be approved , because he has a lot of trust in his intellect .
Would bạn have liked to become a doctor?
I would have adored that. My father was a doctor and he was bringing me to the Luân Đôn hospital in 1977. I came close to change for Medecine school . When bạn think about it, after all this I'm playing Dr House on TV, I would have had the right amount of years to become one . But at the time I was too lazy .
What are your feelings about playing a character who's addicted to pills ? The pain he feels is real, so he needs these pills. To practice medecine, could he only stop taking them and continue to suffer?
How did bạn get familiar with the medical world?
Before starting to shoot I wanted to spend time in an American hospital, because they proceed differently than the ones in France hoặc England, but it was not possible. On the set, we have doctors and we can ask them for advises. When I say that, what does it mean ? I have to understand at least for the moment I play the scene. In 10-20 minutes, I've learned everything about all the vascular system but 20 phút later, it's all forgotten.
What would bạn say bạn brought to the character?
I really don't know. The inspiration of the creator David bờ biển was Sherlock Holmes who played the violin and I play âm nhạc myself (piano, guitar, sax ) This allows us to hiển thị the logical, mathematical side of House but also the ability to improvise and to surprise
You've also được trao thêm than one accessory to your character, the trainers bạn collect…
In the hospital, everybody is used to wear trainers because everybody is standing all the time. But I think it's really poignant for this character who cannot run, who cannot play at any game and still he wears this kind of shoes. It's a way of hiển thị that he wants to be free
You're British but bạn play an American character. What have bạn had to change from your language and behaviour?
House has always been considered an American person. I've tried to play it with my British accent: it lasted 10 seconds, I was told it didn't work. There are already too many obstacles that separate House from his audience, he's a loner, sarcastic, bitter... It's an alien. We don't have the need to put elements from a different culture. For me, speaking in American accent is the most difficult thing. Same happens with the limp
What can bạn tell us about season 5?
I've just finished shooting. Season 5 will have an incredible ending. All the characters ask themselves about the consequences of Amber's death and the responsabilities of every one of them
Will we see House and Cuddy getting closer? Can we count on seeing that happening?
Yeah, bạn can count one that.... but I cannot give bạn too much details about it. It's something that it developed throughout many episodes. There's a big radical change
Were bạn disappointed when bạn learnt that Kal Penn left House to tham gia Obama's team?
I cannot be disappointed if he wanted to work for his government. I admire his courage for having taken this Công chúa tóc xù decision. Politics doesn't appeal me much. I don't like much the public side of being an actor. For a politician, that's even worst. Same with the sportsmen, I wouldn't like to be David Beckham, for instance
How long would bạn like to keep playing House? Would bạn accept to work in a movie adaptation of the show?
We've already done a hundred episodes and we'll continue working as long as the the audience keeps watching us. A movie adaptation? It would have to be something different from the show. When moving from TV to cinema, « ngôi sao Trek » has been able to improve a lot in terms of visuality but for House, I don't know how it could improve but I'm open for this idea.
Don't bạn think that the hero of your novel "The Gun Seller" has some resemblance to Dr. House even you've written your book eight years before starting the series?
For me, the two characters are very different. Thomas Lang is an optimistic, a little tired, cynical but he's happy. Dr House is miserable, tortured, bitter. Even though, I think both have the same kind of sense of humour and have the quality of listening to people
What attacts bạn of these ironic and cynical characters? Are bạn like them?
I think I must be like them... These two men are in a halfway point of their lives. When bạn reach 50, some cynism is inevitable. I don't think I'm cynical, at least not as much as House is. But I share with them their sense of humour. Thomas Lang is the closest expression of myself
You've written this book in 1996, why did the book release in France in January 2009?
(In French) I don't know! It has to do with the success of House, there's no doubt about it. I've become thêm popular, the book too. The edition moved slower around the world in comparison with the projection of the show. It's incredible I've had to wait all this time but it's a wonderful X-mas present
What pushed bạn to write?
I've started to write a personal diary, but, it was too quick, and I was bored with the routine of my own life. It reached a point that I didn't want to read about myself! Then I started to invent explosions, car chase, beautiful women. It started like a game. I write without a planning, some pages every ngày that I hiển thị to my wife afterwards. It's a lonely job. I failed to get crazy but it's really excited to see the real world disappear and give some place to imagination
You're working on your một giây novel, will it be of the same genre?
This kind of books, if bạn write one, if bạn write six. I wanna write six. The ending of this một giây book is giving me some trouble, so I'll probably di chuyển to the third one! But yeah, I will continue with the genre I tình yêu the most because I've always loved detective stories à la Agatha Christie, Raymond Chandler and… (looks for a French author) Georges Simenon !
Your detective story will be adapted into a movie, will bạn participate in the adventure?
In fact, I'm the one who's nghề viết văn the movie adaptation for United Artists. But they have filed a bankruptcy petition... could be because of my script! It was picked up bởi MGM and then it was picked up again bởi Sony. My little movie has become a little thing in a big company. I hope things get clearer and I could get involved as an actor, writer hoặc director
bạn live in the States and your family in England, how can bạn manage to be so far away from home?
Planes help us. We come back and phía trước, chuyển tiếp all the time. My kids study in England. If everything had happened 10 years ago, I could have taken them with me but they are grown ups and have their lives in England
How bạn manage your popularity?
Not really well. I went to Spain, where the hiển thị is really popular, and I had a bodyguard. I don't like that. Today, we have lots of cameras, a devil's invention, all notion of privacy has disappeared. That reminds me that the time of the KGB, every one could spy the other, take pics, know what kind of âm nhạc bạn like to listen, which films bạn like. It's incredible! I cannot believe there won't be serious consequences because of all that
You've đã đưa ý kiến bạn were really lazy to study Medicine but you've studied Anthropolgy and Archeology. Do bạn regret having changed of studies?
But how do bạn know all that?...I went to college thêm because of rowing than because of the studies. My father won a vàng Olympic medal. I wanted to be like him. I focused on rowing. If I had focused on my studies, maybe I'd be in New Guinea with a hat and a whip…
You're a musician, actor, writer, what's your favourite??
I always prefer the one I'm not doing at that moment! When I'm playing a character, I dream about nghề viết văn and wear my own clothes. But when I'm writing, this activity is really solitary and I dream about other people and about acting. It's difficult to explain. âm nhạc would be my ideal world. I'd like to end getting involved in a jazz trio.
