Q&A: Robert Sean Leonard talks 'House'

Warning: This entry contains spoilers about season six, episode nine of House which some fans may prefer to avoid!

House has always been all about Hugh Laurie and his titular character, the arrogant and sarcastic (but equally loveable) head of diagnostics. However, the producers have decided to stray from the usual formula and shake things up a bit this season by centring episodes on characters other than Dr House. First up: the unsung hero that is Wilson! Excited about House's right-hand man taking centre stage, we called actor Robert Sean Leonard for a quick chat.

Congratulations on your self-titled episode!
"No, are you kidding me? It's my worst nightmare! When I read this pilot, well... the other pilot I was considering was Numb3rs when I first got out here five years ago but I read that and thought, 'This is way too many scenes. This is way too hard and I'm not interested' and then I read House and Wilson was in about three scenes a show and I thought, 'This is perfect!' I'm not the most ambitious guy - I like playing the best friend."

Tell us how Wilson is different in this episode...
"You see my assistants - who you've never met - you see the Oncology floor, you see where I work. But my own assistants, my own patients, my own day - it doesn't include House. You basically follow Wilson around for a few days and see what his life is like. Josh Malina - this great guy who was on West Wing - is the patient and he's an old friend of mine and he gets into some trouble and I have some moral decisions to make. It's a personal case for me."

If you met somebody like House in real life, would you be his friend?
"It's tricky - probably not. Maybe when I was twenty. But at forty? No. House is an incredibly intriguing guy, he's funny and I would imagine great fun to be around. He's extremely smart, sarcastic - what's not to like? The only thing is that he's self-involved and has agendas often and he screws you over sometimes! I think when you're twenty that doesn't matter so much but at forty, I have a wife, a daughter and two dogs and I hardly have time for people I like!"

House is struggling with Lucas and Cuddy's relationship. Will Wilson have to step in again and be mediator?
"I am contractually obligated not to say! But yes, any time House has trouble with Cuddy or Lucas, Wilson's gonna be around to referee and also we're sharing an apartment. I'm finding there's a lot more this season than there used to be."

There are a lot of Huddy fans out there, but what do you think about a Wilson/Cuddy hookup?
"I think that wouldn't work! The problem with all of this, to me, is who is Wilson? People seem to know who House is and who Cuddy is, but I get very different descriptions of who Wilson is. Maybe this episode next week will help a little bit. So in my mind, when I think about him with Cuddy, it doesn't work. People have a view of him that he's warm and fuzzy and he'd be an easy guy for Cuddy to boss around and it might be a good idea to have a relationship. But I don't think Wilson would stand it for very long!"

When do you think we might see Wilson with a new love interest?
"I've done that! Are you kidding me? I got to date Anne Dudek for four months as Amber. You don't get any luckier than that and I'm not gonna press my luck."

Will we ever see Wilson move forward from Amber?
"When you say 'move forward', does that mean a wife and a house? Because for some people that is forward but I don't think it is for everybody. I don't think Wilson is cut out for that. For him, moving forward means getting a bagel and going to work! I think he's a very weird guy - he's dark, very lonely. Hugh and I have a joke that one day I'll be sick in the hospital and I'll be dying or something and basically I'll send him on a mission to get all of the porn out of my house and in the basement and he comes back with boxes and boxes of it and I look it at it and say, 'Where's the rest? Where's the German stuff?' and that's my joke about Wilson. He's dark - he has three ex-wives, he lives alone, he deals with death every day, he's best friends with House - he's very odd. He's not Mr Rogers!"

You've had a stable cast for a long time but over the last couple of years, things have been shaken up a little bit. Has it changed the environment on set at all?
"It always does. But I like it - I like that people... well, I remember when they first told me that Kutner was gonna go by suicide and I was as shocked as everyone else - maybe as much as Kal Penn! But that is the way it happens in life - people surprise you. It was so shocking and so daring. There's a scene we just filmed where Jesse Spencer's character Chase is asked to Thanksgiving dinner by Taub and he's like, 'Are you worried about me? I'm not Kutner, you know.' And I thought, 'Oh God, right. Of course!'"

House continues Monday at 8pm on Fox in the US and Sunday at 9pm on Sky1 in the UK.

What do you think of season six so far? Are you looking forward to Wilson's episode? Add your comments to this entry below!

Posted Wednesday, November 25 at 16:49 by Dan

Click to see and add comments (1)

The 'Dollhouse' axe: Your verdict

Recently, we asked what you thought of Fox's decision to axe Dollhouse.

Sure, the ratings haven't exactly been on fire, but Joss Whedon's twisted tales made for compelling viewing for at least a few of us, right? Well, it turns out that Tube Talk readers were pretty divided in their opinions!

Some 48.2% said that they loved the series and claimed it was too early for a Dollhouse death, while 46.5% sided with Fox. Amongst all the Dollhouse controversy, 5.3% claimed they weren't fussed either way.

What do you make of the results? Do you agree? Add your comments to this entry below!

Posted Wednesday, November 25 at 12:18 by Dan

Click to see and add comments (7)

Win an exclusive (and furry) 'V' box

To celebrate the impending arrival of the V remake on British screens - early next year on Sci Fi, FYI - we've got hold of a bunch of exclusive goodies for Tube Talk readers.

Ten lucky people will win a V-branded lunchbox containing a special furry surprise!

To be in with a chance of winning, click here and answer our easy peasy question (if you need a hint, take a look at the picture on the page).

Posted Wednesday, November 25 at 12:02 by Neil

Click to see article >

Bernard Cribbins talks 'Who' return

Now 'The Waters Of Mars' has come and gone, all eyes are firmly focused on The Tenth Doctor's final adventure in 'The End Of Time' (parts one and two). Precious little is known about David Tennant's swansong, but we do know that John Simm is back as The Master, there are guest appearances from June Whitfield and David Harewood - and Bernard Cribbins is reprising his role as Wilf and becoming a fully-fledged companion!

Yesterday we spent some time with Cribbins, who is being honoured with a special award for outstanding creative contribution to the industry at this Sunday's EA Children's BAFTAs. Naturally, our Who scoops were out in full force. Click 'play' below to watch:

Now is it just me, or does Bernard's final comment about "regenerating" suggest that Wilf may meet his maker in the final episode? Hmm...

Meanwhile, the BBC has released a fresh description of 'The End Of Time, Part One': "It's the Tenth Doctor's final journey – but his psychotic nemesis the Master has been reborn, on Christmas Eve. With both determined to cheat death, the battle ranges from the wastelands of London to the mysterious Immortality Gate, while the alien Ood warn of an even greater danger approaching, as a terrible shadow falls across the entire Universe."

... and 'The End Of Time, Part Two': "The Doctor faces the end of his life as the Master's plans hurtle out of control. With the sound of drums growing louder, and an ancient trap closing around the Earth, the Doctor and Wilf must fight alone. But sacrifices must be made, and the deadly prophecy warns: 'He will knock four times.'"

What do you make of Bernard's responses? And what do you think of the latest episode synopses? Add your comments to this entry below!

Additional reporting by Chris Allen

Posted Wednesday, November 25 at 03:56 by Neil

Click to see and add comments (16)