For eight years, Hugh Laurie starred in the title role on the FOX medical drama House.
But despite becoming an international celebrity, he isn't chasing success for its own sake.
Here's why he hasn't been the same since House.
For an actor, not every day on the job is glamorous and exciting.
Sometimes it can feel a little repetitive.
So after nearly a decade playing Dr. Gregory House, Hugh Laurie definitely wanted a change
of scenery.
He still enjoyed playing the role all the way through to the final season, but the routine
was starting to get monotonous, and he wasn't sure if he was really cut out for that kind
of commitment anymore.
As the final season was airing, he told The Telegraph,
"You know, we have done 170 episodes now, I think.
That's about 50-60 feature films-worth.
You want a break, you really do."
So Laurie's first order of business after House wrapped was to take a long break from
acting.
He ended up spending a full three years away from Hollywood, save for a few small exceptions,
like lending his voice to the video game LittleBigPlanet 3.
He finally got back in front of the camera in 2015 for the Disney film Tomorrowland.
He loved playing House, but he often felt like he was working himself to the bone on
set.
Getting up at 5 AM for a 16-hour workday was not uncommon, and he stuck with this schedule
for nearly a decade.
No wonder he needed an extended vacation once the cameras stopped rolling.
"How are things in hell?
Is the humidity the big issue?"
Although Laurie would certainly have preferred more privacy than the press afforded him after
the success of House, the overwhelming praise for the series gave him a major confidence
boost.
After all, he'd never been a part of such an internationally successful show before.
Previously, he occasionally felt insecure about his career because he'd never gone to
drama school, and he wondered if he wasn't a genuinely qualified actor.
Laurie used to question whether or not he really belonged in the entertainment industry.
But once House took off with audiences, and he saw the impact the show was having, he
realized that he'd definitely earned his place.
It was a huge turning point in his career.
As he told The Guardian,
"House was something I didn't have to apologize for.
It was something I was really proud of and...whether you liked it or not, it was undeniable."
Although Laurie wasn't acting much right after House went off the air, he didn't completely
stop working.
He just chose to invest his time in a different creative pursuit.
It turns out he's a talented blues musician, and he loves recording music even more than
he loves acting.
In 2011, Laurie released Let Them Talk, his first blues album.
He was surprised by the success it achieved, and he eventually went on to release a second
album in 2013, entitled Didn't It Rain.
He admitted that he was quite nervous in the recording studio, but as it turned out, he
had nothing to be worried about.
His concerts sold out, and the albums were certified gold.
He told The Guardian in 2013,
"There's a sensual pleasure involved in making sounds, harmonious sounds, that I just can't
get, and I don't think anyone can quite get, from acting…It just cannot get better than
that.
It takes over my whole body in a way that acting just can't."
Dr. Gregory House was known for being prickly and brutally honest, but it would be tough
to argue that he was a villain.
Despite his rough exterior, he had a kind heart, and he genuinely wanted to help his
patients.
But the actor who played him eventually wanted to play a truly evil character.
In 2016, Hugh Laurie finally got that chance when he landed the role of Richard Roper on
the BBC series The Night Manager.
Based on John le Carré's novel of the same name, the plot follows a former soldier who
manages to worm his way into Roper's inner circle as Roper is arming the Egyptian government
in the midst of the Arab spring.
At one point, Roper is described as "the worst man in the world," and Laurie was up for the
challenge of bringing this vile character to life.
He told The Telegraph,
"Villainy serves a purpose in all good storytelling.
It's a very well-trodden path, in all kinds of stories, so when I was offered the chance
to play [Roper], there was no way I could possibly pass it up."
"Her life depends on the quality of your performance in the next half hour.
So smile."
After eight years of playing House, Laurie knew that he could easily land another doctor
role if he wanted to, but he felt like doing so would mean he was basically putting himself
in a box.
But when he was offered the part of Dr. Eldon Chance on the Hulu series Chance, he just
couldn't pass it up.
When asked in a 2016 interview with Junkee if he hesitated before taking another medical
role, he answered,
"For about two minutes.
I opened the script and thought, 'Oh, this is good.
It's a shame I can't do it because it's medical.'
After three pages I'd forgotten."
Laurie made an exception this time because Dr. Chance was a different type of doctor
who was dealing with very different patients than Dr. House was.
"No, I'm not a treating therapist, I'm a consulting neuropsychiatrist."
Chance is a medical drama and a suspenseful thriller all wrapped up in one, and Laurie
didn't feel like he was playing the same role all over again.
Overall, he's certainly changed in the years since the House finale, but the authenticity
that he brings to every role still makes him one of the best actors in the business.
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