Hugh Laurie hasn’t portrayed Dr. Gregory House in nearly three years, but the actor admits he still can’t shake the limp he developed for the role. During an appearance on The Graham Norton Show, Laurie shared that the limp he perfected during House’s eight-season run still occasionally resurfaces when he’s working on other projects.
“I can’t remember any of the lines at all, but when ‘action’ is shouted, I start limping,” Laurie joked. “I’m like a dog that’s been prodded with electrodes.”
Laurie’s dedication to the role extended beyond just the limp. The British actor had to work extensively on his voice to sound like the American doctor. In fact, dropping his British accent and nailing Dr. House’s distinct voice was a challenge that involved vocal exercises, as Laurie once discussed with NPR in a 2012 feature.
“Those vocal exercises included letting my throat go floppy and lowering my vocal register,” Laurie shared. “Still, there are certain words—like ‘New York’ and ‘murder’—that I just can’t quite master. It’s the R’s. They’re tricky letters. Almost every word in American English feels alien to me, but I got more comfortable with it over time.”
Beyond perfecting the voice and the physicality, Laurie also dove deep into understanding Dr. House’s character, particularly the chronic pain that drove much of the character’s actions.
“Pain is an incredibly hard thing to empathize with moment to moment,” Laurie explained. “You don’t really remember your own pain—the moment you break a limb or hurt yourself, the memory of that pain is hard to summon up, thankfully. And it’s even harder to imagine someone else’s.”
Despite struggling to shake the limp, Laurie hasn’t had any trouble staying busy since House ended. He’s taken on various roles, including starring in Disney’s Tomorrowland: A World Beyond and playing a recurring character on HBO’s Veep.
Background on House, M.D.
House, M.D. was a groundbreaking medical drama that aired on Fox from 2004 to 2012, with Hugh Laurie starring as the brilliant yet deeply flawed Dr. Gregory House. The show was created by David Shore and quickly became a hit, known for its unique take on the medical procedural genre. Dr. House, a genius diagnostician with a notorious disdain for following rules, led a team of doctors at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital.
What set House apart was not just its complex medical mysteries but also House’s character—an eccentric, often rude doctor battling his own demons, particularly his addiction to painkillers due to chronic leg pain. House’s limp and his reliance on a cane became iconic parts of his character. Despite his prickly demeanor and questionable bedside manner, House’s brilliance at solving seemingly unsolvable medical cases kept audiences captivated.
Throughout its eight seasons, House garnered critical acclaim and a loyal fanbase. It received numerous awards and nominations, including two Golden Globe wins for Hugh Laurie in the Best Actor category. The show was also a ratings powerhouse, consistently drawing millions of viewers each week, solidifying its place as one of the most successful medical dramas in television history.
