[Interview] (Spoilers) 5+1 Questions With Lisa Edelstein of [H]ouse

Lisa Edelstein, (Lisa Cuddy on House) sat down with the media last week, in support of the January 24th episode of House. The case of the week was one the audience has seen in various shades before, with paternity playing a role in the final diagnosis. As has been written by a medical professional, the medicine and the conclusion were solid, although the conclusion took a romance novel level of disbelief suspension. The big move forward was for House himself, as we see him bonding with Cuddy’s daughter Rachel, and the possible family the three of them could make.

Next week’s episode of House looks to be as dramatic as ever. In the promo shown after last week’s episode of House, we learn that Cuddy’s mother, whom the audience just met, is under House’s care. Amber in the ER was titled Wilson’s Heart, maybe this time we’ll get Cuddy’s Conscience, or whatever organ is supposed to govern conflicts of interest.

As for Lisa Edelstein, her bio is quite the page turner. She was a call-girl girlfriend on The West Wing. She was a transexual boyfriend on Ally McBeal. On Relativity, she was a lesbian sister. Now in her seventh year as Lisa Cuddy, Edelstein has continuously brought more than enough energy and creativity to be a proper foil to the multi-talented Hugh Laurie. In the Q&A she’ll talk about playing alongside Laurie, Cuddy’s future, and the future of the series:

(J. Becker, Popbunker.net): It’s been such a will they or won’t they relationship for so long how do you feel that’s different from the other typical will they or won’t they situations that are on TV right now?

L. Edelstein: Well, first of all, I don’t think that show was centered around will they or won’t they.  So, that gives you a lot more freedom to play with, will and won’t.  It doesn’t rely on them ever getting together, it really is a show about House and his journey, and in his journey he’s had a series of relationships on the show that he’s explored and learned from and this is one of those, this is part of his path.

(From Henry Hanks, CNN.com): So, I’m just curious, with the show sort of there’s some very intense scenes and then there’s humorous scenes, what’s the atmosphere like usually on set?  Are you guys very into the scene or is there a lot of pranking and joking around?

L. Edelstein: We’re not pranksters.  We have too much to do, but there are a lot of great wits on this crew.  There’s some very smart, very disturbed people that work together so it’s more of just funny … but mostly, it’s very concentrated; it’s a lot of fun because we all like each other.  If the scene is very heavy then, you have to take your time away to concentrate and just kind of stay in that space.  The lighter scenes are of course always more fun and playful.

H. Hanks: I guess it was last season you guys did an episode that was centered on Cuddy.  What did you bring from that experience?

L. Edelstein: Well, I had a great time, I mean not just because the show was about my character.  It was really fun for me to kind of be the person that’s on set the most, kind of setting the pace and the atmosphere on stage because you really are responsible for that when you’re there the most.  If you have an attitude or you’re tired then it kind of drags everything down.  It was fun to have that responsibility and I loved doing it.  I loved it, but boy, Hugh must be exhausted.

(From David Martindale, Hearst Newspapers): If someone had told you during Season One or Two that House and Cuddy would be a couple, what would you have thought of that?

L. Edelstein: I wouldn’t have been surprised.  I thought I saw it in the pilot and then it just kind of didn’t become a story and then— I just felt like they have a complicated relationship and if the show lasted long enough it would be a relationship worth exploring.  If you had told me that House and Cuddy would be getting together in Season 6 or Season 7, I would have more surprised that we would have had a Season 7, because that’s probably more shocking than anything else.

D. Martindale: What do you think that Cuddy’s clothes say about her?

L. Edelstein: Well, she’s very controlling and so she wears very structured type outfits.  Her life is very restricted, she really is all work and very little play and so again, she can’t even run fast in those skirts.  I like the way, everything about what she wears kind of holds her in.  She just doesn’t have great freedom.  She’s also a woman and lives most of her life out at the hospital so she uses that time to go sexy and beautiful.

(From Barbara Barnett, Blog Critics magazine) Are you guys all on board for next season yet?

L. Edelstein: No, I think there’s some issue between— We are produced by NBC, even though we’re on FOX, which is a little unusual but not that uncommon.  So, there’s a whole complicated structure of that in terms of who pays for what when you make a show.  Now that the show’s been on for so long, I think NBC wants FOX to take over the cost of production and FOX doesn’t want to take that over, so there’s just been some dispute there.  I think if you’d look on deadlinehollywood.com there’s more information.  Until that’s resolved, they can’t even begin to talk to any of us.  I know that they officially have Hugh for an eighth season.  He negotiated that a long time ago.  So, the rest of us will have to wait until the contract is finished between the studio and the network.

So there it is, 5+1 questions with Lisa Edelstein. On Monday Feb 7th, Candice Bergen and Paula Marshall guest star, as family ties cause a conflict of interest. Find out how it all shakes out, in the new Family Practice episode of [H]ouse.