Hugh Laurie reportedly turned down the opportunity to revisit his acclaimed character, Dr. House, in a podcast interview, saying that he “frankly doesn’t care about the audience or reliving the show.”
The British actor and comedian, 66, famously played the cantankerous Dr. Gregory House on the Fox medical drama series House from 2004 to 2012.
During a recent episode of the Doctor Mike podcast, host Dr. Mikhail “Mike” Varshavski spoke to Noah Wyle, who played Dr. John Carter in ER and is now playing Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch in HBO’s The Pitt.
During the interview, Varshavski told Wyle: “I love that you’re still connected to your characters very much. Most that play a role like John Carter get tired of that association. In fact, we invited Hugh Laurie to our show.”
Varshavski continued: “His staff was like, ‘Oh, this is a good fit, we’re going to reach out to him and see what he thinks. I’m going to read you quote-unquote what he said: ‘He is not interested in opportunities like this, frankly doesn’t care about the audience or reliving the show.’”
In response, Wyle laughed and said: “That’s so baller.”
Varshavski added: “It’s just such a direct and honest reply. It’s not that he doesn’t want to do your show, just he doesn’t want to be House MD ever again.”
A representative for Laurie told The Independent Laurie has never said he wouldn’t consider doing House again.
On social media, fans pointed out that Laurie’s curt response was perfectly in keeping with his misanthropic character. One shared a clip of the moment with the caption: “Hugh Laurie embodied House in that moment.”
In March 2020, Laurie did briefly revisit the character to imagine what House would have said about the coronavirus pandemic.
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The actor shared his theory in a tweet, writing: “I can’t speak for House, obviously – no one’s written clever words for me to say – but I’m pretty sure he’d tell you it’s not a matter of ‘solving’ Covid.
“This is an epidemic, not a diagnostic problem. We solve it together by staying apart.”
In another tweet at the time, Laurie celebrated essential workers still performing their duties despite the pandemic.
“When this is over, what say we all pitch in and buy health care workers, couriers, hauliers, farmers, millers, grocers, bakers, sewage workers, power workers, teachers, fire fighters and police officers a bottle of something?” he wrote.
He later added: “Thanks to those who’ve taken the trouble to tell me that decent pay and conditions for essential workers might be preferable to a bottle of something. Bigger thanks to those who knew that’s what I meant.”
Laurie also shared these words of encouragement: “Chin up, everybody. This will work. However irksome it is for us, it’s much worse for the virus. Picture the little bugger with its nose against the window, whining.”