Hugh Laurie: “I think it’s part of an actor’s responsibility to love the character you play”

With the Fox show now over, leading star Hugh Laurie has since spoken about saying goodbye to his alter ego, Dr.Gregory House.

After debuting back in 2004 the hit medical drama House finally came to an end.  With the final episode airing on May 21st, the series sad ender didn’t go unnoticed, with 8.7 million viewers tuning in while creating buzz across the internet, Facebook and Twitter.  With the Fox show now over, leading star Hugh Laurie has since spoken with the L.A. Times about saying goodbye to his alter ego, Dr.Gregory House.

“I don’t feel he was my character; he’s not like me, or I’m not like him, but I do love him. I think it’s part of an actor’s responsibility to love the character you play, and I found him endlessly unpredictable and funny and self-loathing and unhappy. I was attracted to and moved by his unhappiness.”  Adding, “and by unhappiness in general. Unhappiness is an unfinished state; happy people don’t need our help.”

Laurie also spoke about playing House and the toll it took to take on such a complex leading character.  “It was a very consuming part, and I worked very hard to get it right. It’s a necessary trick of television that characters can’t really change. In film, because you know where the ending is, characters can change, but in television, you substitute revelation for change and that can be hard to pull off.”

Now that Laurie’s long run as the maverick doctor is over the 52 year old has decided its time to hit the road with plans to embark on a world tour with his band Copperbottom.

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