Last year, actors Kal Penn and Peter Jacobson became part of the Emmy nominated House. The two were regularized after being chosen from a batch of new recruits for the show, which stars Hugh Laurie. With the series’ fifth season well underway, fans are looking forward to the developments regarding House and Cuddy’s romantic relationship, which we reported about yesterday.
Meanwhile, Penn and Jacobson spoke to Zap2It to share their thoughts on their characters, the new season, and how it is to work with House star, Hugh Laurie.
“We got to know each other as actors and as characters last season, so it’s nice,” Kal Penn, who guest starred on 24 and took the lead in the Harold and Kumar films, told Zap2It. “To not have to compete for the last fellowship slots and be able to explore who these characters are and how they fit together, that’s very nice.”
Jacobson echoes the thought, saying, “Last year everybody on the set was really welcoming in this strange situation, [but it was a] strained event we were going through for nine episodes. But coming in [for our second season] was seamless. It feels comfortable.”
Kal Penn entered the show to play Dr. Lawrence Kutner, whom he says we will find out more about this season. He said, “At the end of last season, you found out what happened to Kutner’s parents. You know that when he was six, he saw them get murdered basically, so his view of life and death is a little more grounded in something. He’s mourned someone so severe that what happened to Amber is just part of life and death.”
As for Jacobson, his Dr. Chris Taub is also going through some emotional turmoil, as he explained, “Taub’s last moment of the season was coming back to his wife. He had a moment of wow, life is hard and scary and for whatever I’ve done in the past to hurt you, that you don’t know about even, I’m here and I want to reinvest myself in you…With many thanks to House, Taub is really forced to confront these philandering issues with his wife. You’ll see more of that.”
Penn adds that this season, “this is our second year, so now you’ll see a little more independence because clearly House trusts us enough to hire us. So maybe we don’t check in with him over every little thing.”
Speaking of House, what do they have to say about the man behind the character, Hugh Laurie?
“He’s just so dedicated to everything. Even when there were 40 of us that started last season, he made us feel so completely welcome and part of the show,” Penn says. “Hugh and the writers are so giving as performers and artists. And that’s rare, I think, in film and television. It’s more common in theater when you’re building this collaborative project.”
Jacobson adds, “He’s incredibly generous as an actor. He’s got so much on his shoulders and he knows it, everybody knows it, and his work ethic is amazing…He’s very open to how other actors work and that’s why the show works so well. It’s not just his basic brilliance as a performer and an actor, or the writing — which is great — It starts with him, and the energy that comes out of him brings everyone else along.”
Catch House as it airs every Tuesday at 8pm on FOX.
-Valerie Anne del Castillo, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Zap2It
(Photo courtesy of FOX)
Staff Columnist, BuddyTV
