Hugh Laurie on House fame and LA
March 28th, 2008, 4:13 pm Hobbies Ideas
It may surprise some readers to learn that Hugh Laurie was papped %26ndash;
photographed without permission %26ndash; on his way to this interview. We still
tend to think of him as Bertie Wooster, or the less celebrated half of Fry
and Laurie, or an upper-class twit in Blackadder. That view is, to
say the least, out of date. What he is these days is the biggest British
star on American television, hence the market for a snap of Hugh Laurie
walking from a car to a photographic studio in North London.
The presence of a paparazzo certainly surprised Laurie. Irritated him a
little, too. It used to be the case that the only people who paid any
attention to me were those who liked what I did, he says, drawing on the
first of many cigarettes. Now I get noticed by people who don%26rsquo;t care
whether I live or die %26ndash; probably want me to die. That takes a bit of getting
used to. But he gets a reasonable press, doesn%26rsquo;t he, by and large? I don%26rsquo;t
know. I try to avoid it. I hope you won%26rsquo;t be offended, but I won%26rsquo;t read
this.
He is, however, as he is throughout our conversation, keen not to moan. I%26rsquo;ve
had it a lot better than many people. I went to a pub with Kenneth Branagh
once and a man shouted, %26lsquo;Oi, Branagh! You%26rsquo;re a c***!%26rsquo;
A recent poll put Laurie in the top five favourite television personalities in
the US, up there with Oprah and Jay Leno. This popularity is due to his role
as Dr Gregory House, which has also won him critical acclaim (two Emmys) and
financial security (he supposedly gets $200,000 per episode). That%26rsquo;s an
exaggeration. I am being very handsomely paid, though. My ship has come in
and I%26rsquo;ll be forever grateful. He has made three series of House
to date, is halfway through the fourth and is signed up for three more. Will
he then be able never to work again? That would depend on how long I live,
he replies (he is 48), with impeccable logic. If I step under a bus in a
week%26rsquo;s time, the answer is yes.
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