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By
Suzanne

I was lucky enough to
participate in a conference call with FOX’s Lisa Edelstein, who portrays
Cuddy on “House”. Some other websites and journalists asked questions,
as well as myself. I have put the information into a summary. I hope you
enjoy it! Lisa seemed very nice and enthusiastic. She told us what a
great time she has on the show. She could not reveal too much about
forthcoming storyline, especially in the new season, because they simply
don't tell the actors much ahead of time. However, there are some
spoilers here, so be warned!
Fox's Kurland says, "We are all really excited about the last two
episodes of House for this season. It’s a two-part season finale, and
with, obviously, part one airing on Monday, May 12th, and part two
airing on Monday, May 19th. Both of them are at 9:00 p.m."
Ms. Edelstein was asked whether she was worried, what with the new group
of House characters that came on this year, as to whether she would feel
that screen time was limited, but she admitted that she and Sean Robert
Leonard (who plays Wilson) were the least affected by that. She notes
that "it's been a wonderful experience". She was also asked if she felt
her character had grown much in the past few seasons, and she agreed
that Cuddy has grown. She feels that Cuddy and House have "a beautiful,
complicated, adult relationship filled with all kinds of subliminal
messages. And it’s fun to play, and even when they don’t write it, I put
it in." She thinks more will be revealed in the future, about their
relationship.
The reporter from the Toronto Sun asked how long she felt she could pass
herself off as a doctor, were she dropped into a hospital (in disguise,
of course). She thinks she could last about a half a day, since she is
good at using the big words in an intelligent way. As soon as she was
really needed, though, such as for a heart attack, she would not be much
use beyond saying, "Clear!" really well. Edelstein did reveal that being
on the show makes her worry every time she or someone she know has any
unexplained symptoms, such as a rash that doesn't clear up right away.
However, she added that they have to memorize so much complicated
dialogue, that they really dont' retain the medical information they get
for very long.
I asked Ms. Edelstein which of the men on the show she would prefer
Cuddy have a future relationship with, or if she would prefer Cuddy to
find a new man? She thinks that Cuddy and House have more to explore
between them. Later, I realized this was probably a stupid question
because of course she would want to have her character involved with the
star of the show! That makes sense, anyway. I was surprised, however,
that she said she doesn't think her character is attracted to Wilson. I
guess she's thinking in terms of his relationships with women because he
sure is attractive!
Another journalist, from Canada, asked if she agreed that Cuddy loves
House and all of the games she has to play with him. Edelstein agreed
with that and added that she lives vicariously through him, she does not
practice medicine as much. She also said that "as all intense people
are, they’re incredibly interesting and compelling, and she definitely
falls victim to that." She thinks that House is intrigued by and
attracted to Cuddy, but he is not capable of love the way that other
people are because of his pain and the drugs. Wilson loves him, too, she
says, but House is not able to have a real friendship or love connection
with another person.
When asked whether she thinks House is really as unempathetic and
disconnected as he seems to be, Edelstein agrees with writer David Shore
that HOuse is indeed that way and not just covering. He is more
interested in the weekly puzzle of the disease than the person having
the disease or the doctors he works with. He is very smart and can see
through all of the B.S. to such a degree that the people become
uninteresting to him. What attracts people, and the viewers, is that he
is able to tell people the truth, even when they don't want to hear it.
She said, "It’s being naked with all your defects. There’s something
about it, even when it’s cruel, that’s comforting."
About Hugh Laurie, who plays, House, Edelstein said, "is a much softer
person and very sensitive and very empathetic and hilarious, an
extremely hard worker." I don't think that probably comes as a surprise
to anyone, that he is actually a nice person and not a jerk like House.
Comparing herself to Cuddy, she told us that she has a lot more energy
and is also more relaxed than Cuddy, pointing out that Cuddy wears very
tight skirts that are difficult to walk in, and that she and her
character are so completely different that it surprises people when they
meet her.
Edelstein was asked about which TV shows she enjoyed, so she listed
Project Runway, Lost, The Sopranos, Big Love and Mad Men. She is glad to
have TiVo, since she is rarely home during regular viewing hours.
In the finale, House is suffering from a brain injury and is trying to
remember what happened to him during an accident. He sees Cuddy and
others in his head, and these figments of his imagination help him solve
this case. He sees a fantasy of Cuddy and has her do a strip-tease,
Edelstein revealed. She used a company called S Factor, run by Sheila
Kelley, to help her learn the pole dancing. She had worked with Ms.
Kelley before on two other shows. She is the wife of Richard Schiff, was
one of the primary cast members of "The West Wing". Edelstein was on
that show previously. Kelley "realized that stripping was a great way to
stay in shape and also a great way for women to kind of explore their
sexual power." Edelstein agreed with that idea, although she uses yoga
to keep in shape already.
Ms. Edelstein was asked about a rumor going around that there would be a
"House" spin-off next season, but she did not know anything about that.
She and the other "House" members have already started working on the
new 2008 Fall Season. Normally they would take off a while in the
summer, but because of the strike, they went right from filming the May
season finale into filming the next year's fall opener. She confessed
that normally, they have the summer to wonder about the cliffhanger, but
they didn't have that this year, since their questions were answered
immediately by the new script for the fall show. She told us that
because of the season finale, we will be left wondering as to whether
House and Wilson will stay friends. When asked how House's mental
struggles affect the other members his team, she replies that he "ends
up risking his own life in order to access his own mind, and none of the
other people can do what he does, so they’re all willing to kind of
participate in that risk."
Fred Durst guest-stars on the finale, but she did not share any scenes
with him. She listed some great guest stars that they have had on the
show that she enjoyed seeing, such as Samantha Morton, David Morse, and
Joel Grey. She is a huge fan of "Cabaret", so she was very glad to meet
Joel Grey. She added, "We’ve had so many people come and go. We’ve had
great guest stars, wonderful guest casts." She wished they would have
cast Clint Eastwood as House's dad, but that didn't happen.
She was also asked which she prefers, TV or movies, but she only cares
about whether it is good writing or not.
There was also a rumor about a new character, a private investigator,
being introduced on the show, but she did not know anything about that,
either.
Edelstein told us that the fall shows will be premiering on time in the
fall, unless there is an actor's strike. Speaking of strikes, she was
asked what might have been left out of this season's shows, due to the
writer's strike. She thinks they were planning to explore her
relationship with House more but have put it off, but they haven't
really told her in detail. They all are holding their breath about
whether there will be an actor's strike or not. She said that the
tactics that the AMPTP have been pulling are very sad and scary.
Since Cuddy strips in House's fantasy, she was asked whether House would
be stripping in Cuddy's fantasy. She thinks Cuddy would have a much less
masculine fantasy about House than that, where he is doing something
like tickling her belly while making a diagnostic.
Make sure to tune in for House during May sweeps!!
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