James Wilson (House)
Encyclopedia
James Evan Wilson, M.D.
, is a fictional character
on the Fox
medical drama
House
. He is played by Robert Sean Leonard
. The character first appears in the show's pilot episode
when he introduces a medical case to Dr. Gregory House
, the protagonist of the show. Wilson is Dr. House's only true friend, and frequently provides him with consultations and aid. Wilson is the head of the Department of Oncology
at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital.
During the show's run, the characters of Dr. Gregory House and Dr. James Wilson have been compared to Sherlock Holmes
and Doctor Watson. Wilson's portrayer, Robert Sean Leonard, has stated that his character and Dr. House were originally supposed to play these roles, but Dr. House's diagnostic team has taken over Dr. Wilson's part since the show's premiere. Leonard also read the script of the pilot episode of CBS
' Numb3rs
and was planning to audition for the part, but auditioned for House because he felt he would more enjoy playing the character that House went to for help and because he liked the "Odd Couple" dynamic of the relationship.
The character was positively received. Alan Sepinwall of The Star-Ledger
described Wilson as "the only irreplaceable supporting character" of the show, as well as Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune
, who stated that Wilson can "never, never, never, never" leave the show.
from a Jewish household . He has an undergraduate degree from McGill University
, and graduate degrees from Columbia
and the University of Pennsylvania
.
Shortly after a medical convention in New Orleans that he attended after graduating medical school, Wilson accidentally broke an antique mirror and started a bar fight when a random man repeatedly played "Leave A Tender Moment Alone
" by Billy Joel
to the frustration of Wilson, who was going through a divorce with his first wife at the time. Out of interest, House bailed him out and hired an attorney to clear his name, thus starting their professional relationship. In the season 1 episode "Histories", it is revealed that one of his brothers is homeless and that Wilson is unaware if he is still alive as he has not seen him in nine years. Wilson has a history of failed marriages: he is married to his third wife during the show's first season and, with the discovery of his wife's infidelity, separates from her during the second season. After the failure of his third marriage, Wilson lives in various temporary accommodations (including a stint at House's own apartment) until he meets Amber Volakis, who is a female subsitute for House. He is described as "nearly 40" in Don't Ever Change
. Wilson and House's relationship has been sorely tested on many occasions.
, Wilson evades a question as to whether or not he wants children.
However, Wilson defends House when House's career is in jeopardy, after billionaire entrepreneur
and then chairman of the hospital board Edward Vogler (Chi McBride
) proposes a motion for House's dismissal. Wilson is the only one to vote against the motion. In response, Vogler proposes and succeeds in obtaining Wilson's dismissal from the board, but Wilson is soon reinstated thanks to Lisa Cuddy
(Lisa Edelstein
) after she convinces the board that Vogler is the real threat to the hospital and his money is not worth the business-obsessed mindset with which he tries to rule the hospital. In a late season three episode
it is revealed that Wilson suffers from clinical depression
and uses a prescription for his illness. Wilson is also seen to be left-handed, a trait he shares with Cuddy and Foreman.
Wilson attempts to change House's drug habits, with little success. After Cuddy makes a bet to prove House's addiction to Vicodin
, House concedes to Wilson that he has an addiction, but says that the addiction is not a problem. It is, in fact, Wilson who usually writes House's Vicodin
prescriptions (with Dr. Cuddy writing a few merely for leverage in her dealings with House). In Season 3, when Detective Michael Tritter
(David Morse
) threatens to jail House for his Vicodin addiction after finding a huge stash in his apartment, Wilson attempts to convince House to attend rehab
as the situation worsens. After Tritter pressures Wilson to testify several times, Wilson reluctantly agrees, unknown to House. Before this, Wilson watches House punch Dr. Robert Chase
in a reaction to his detoxing, insult Cuddy, and incorrectly diagnose a child with a condition that would have required an amputation
of one of her arms and legs.
Near the end of season 4, Wilson starts a romantic relationship with Amber Volakis, because she is House in female form, and who competed for one of the open jobs on House's team in the wake of Foreman, Chase, and Cameron's departure. In the season finale, she dies as a result of a bus crash sustained while picking up a drunken House from a bar. Her death eventually leads Wilson to conclude that his relationship with House only serves to enable House's dysfunctions. To remove himself from House's influence, he resigns from Princeton-Plainsboro at the beginning of season 5. The two reconcile when Wilson forces House to attend the funeral of House's father. Wilson realizes that he had been afraid of losing House, who is his true friend, and that Wilson's life didn't get any better when he resigned. He then returns to Princeton Plainsboro.
During Season 5 it is revealed that Danny, one of Wilson's brothers (who had previously been mentioned as being homeless), suffered from schizophrenia since adolescence, which is what caused him to run away in the first place. Wilson blames himself for his brother's homelessness, having hung up on his brother right before he disappeared. Wilson also reveals to House that he took the position at Princeton-Plainsboro because it was near the place he had last seen Danny. When Wilson finds out that Danny is in the psych ward of New York Mercy, House offers to come with him to keep him company, noting that it could end badly. However, when Wilson is let in to see his brother, House is busy with a differential with his team.
In the season's 15th episode "Private Lives
", House discovers that Wilson, in his youth, had been an actor in some scenes of a porn
movie called "Feral Pleasures", and throughout the episode, after House hangs posters of the movie all over the hospital in a jealous rage, people start using a phrase that Wilson's character said in one of those scenes: "Be not afraid. The forest nymphs have taught me how to please a woman". In addition, Wilson proposes a joke marriage to House in "The Down Low".
Gay references have been made to the relationship between the two characters of the show. House has made a comment about the relationship between them ("I'm gay!...Oh that's not what you meant. It would explain a lot, though: no girlfriend, always with Wilson, the obsession with sneakers..."). Barbara Barnett said that "House is the needy one in the relationship, and Wilson the doormat" Verne Gay of Newsday
described House's love for Wilson as "touching and genuine". However, Robert Sean Leonard compared the relationship between the two characters to the relationship between Cesar Millan
and his pitbull
, while Hugh Laurie
said that the relationship between the characters is "not just buddydom". The two characters appeared on the cover of the October 13, 2008 issue of TV Guide
.
, whom he had met in the past, shortly after he was paid for his role in Dead Poets' Society. Singer borrowed money from him to shoot Lion's Den
starring his friend Ethan Hawke
, who also attended high school with Singer. In 2004, Leonard received the scripts for the pilot of both House and CBS
' Numb3rs
(in which he was asked to audition for the part of Charlie Eppes
). He thought the script for Numb3rs was "kinda cool". However, he decided to audition for the part of Wilson on House, because his character on Numb3rs was in almost every scene of the show.
Within the scope of a popular comparison that draws parallels between House and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
's Sherlock Holmes
, Wilson is equivalent to Doctor Watson. In two-parts episodes such as Euphoria, Part 1 and Euphoria, Part 2, and House's Head
and Wilson's Heart
, Wilson's voice is heard narrating the story, while Dr. Watson is the character who narrates the stories in most of Sherlock Holmes novels. Leonard has said that his character and House were originally intended to play the role of Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes, respectively, in the series although he believes that House's team has assumed the role of Watson since the show has begun. Producer Katie Jacobs
believes that Wilson and House both hide from relationships with women, because they have to stay in the closet no matter how they love each other. She has said that the difference between the two characters is that Wilson finds it hard to say no because he wants to please the other person. The similarities between Dr. Wilson and Dr. Watson was also one of the reasons that made Leonard choose House over Numb3rs.
Leonard has said that Wilson is one of the few characters to voluntarily maintain a relationship with House, because neither of them work for one another and thus his character has "nothing to lose" by telling him the truth. His character is one of the few who can make House laugh. Katie Jacobs has said that Wilson's moving into House's apartment after a failed relationship in "Sex Kills" symbolizes his taking "emotional refuge" in his friend. Leonard said that he is content with the size of his role, and wants to continue playing the character. He has also stated that he would "kill himself" if he had a role as big as the other cast members.
of The Washington Post
quoted "Leonard has been playing upstanding young men for what seems like forever, but he's still one of the most outstanding upstanding young men in the acting racket". However, Sherwin Nurland of Slate
stated that Leonard often seems so detached that "he'd be better off in another show". In a recap of the season four episode "Ugly
" Nina Smith of TV Guide
said that she thinks that the most convincing writing of the show has always been the scenes in which Cuddy and Wilson "spar" with House. In a 2008 press conference, Katie Jacobs
, who works as an executive producer for the show, praised Leonard for being equally adept at comedy and drama. TV Gal, of Zap2it
, stated that she "truly appreciates" what Leonard brings to the show, being the only character who "truly stands up to House" and "quietly and subtly" giving the show "some of its best moments". In an article about whom to keep if the writers of House decided to minor down the cast, Maureen Ryan, of the Chicago Tribune
said that Wilson can "never, never, never, never" leave the show. Ryan also listed Wilson on her list of "5 Great Characters", saying that Leonard is the "underrated linchpin of the excellent “House” cast".
After Wilson's temporary departure during Houses fifth season, Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times
immediately stated that she wanted the character to return to the show. Linda Stasi of The New York Post said that Dr. House's relationship with Lucas Douglas (Michael Weston
), who temporarily replaced Wilson, was far more natural than House's relationship with Wilson. Critics from TV Guide, Entertainment Weekly
, Blog Critics and USA Today
, all found Leonard's performance in the season 4 finale
worthy of an Emmy Award
.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
, is a fictional character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
medical drama
Medical drama
A medical drama is a television program, in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment.In the United States, most medical episodes are one hour long and, more often than not, are set in a hospital. Most current medical Dramatic programming go beyond the...
House
House (TV series)
House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...
. He is played by Robert Sean Leonard
Robert Sean Leonard
Robert Sean Leonard is an American actor, who has regularly starred in Broadway and off-Broadway productions. Since 2004 he has played the role of Dr. James Wilson on the TV series House...
. The character first appears in the show's pilot episode
Pilot (House)
"Pilot", also known as "Everybody Lies", is the first episode of the U.S. television series House. The episode premiered on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. It introduces the character of Dr. Gregory House —a maverick antisocial doctor—and his team of diagnosticians at the fictional...
when he introduces a medical case to Dr. Gregory House
Gregory House
Gregory House, M.D., or simply referred to as House, is a fictional antihero and title character of the American television series House, played by Hugh Laurie. He is the Chief of Diagnostic Medicine at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, where he leads a team of diagnosticians...
, the protagonist of the show. Wilson is Dr. House's only true friend, and frequently provides him with consultations and aid. Wilson is the head of the Department of Oncology
Oncology
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with cancer...
at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital.
During the show's run, the characters of Dr. Gregory House and Dr. James Wilson have been compared to Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
and Doctor Watson. Wilson's portrayer, Robert Sean Leonard, has stated that his character and Dr. House were originally supposed to play these roles, but Dr. House's diagnostic team has taken over Dr. Wilson's part since the show's premiere. Leonard also read the script of the pilot episode of CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
' Numb3rs
NUMB3RS
Numb3rs is an American television drama which premiered on CBS on January 23, 2005, and concluded on March 12, 2010. The series was created by Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heuton, and follows FBI Special Agent Don Eppes and his mathematical genius brother, Charlie Eppes , who helps Don solve crimes...
and was planning to audition for the part, but auditioned for House because he felt he would more enjoy playing the character that House went to for help and because he liked the "Odd Couple" dynamic of the relationship.
The character was positively received. Alan Sepinwall of The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to The Jersey Journal of Jersey City, The Times of Trenton and the Staten Island Advance, all of which are owned by Advance Publications.The Newark Star-Ledgers daily...
described Wilson as "the only irreplaceable supporting character" of the show, as well as Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, who stated that Wilson can "never, never, never, never" leave the show.
Character biography
Wilson is one of three brothersBrothers
Brothers are male siblings.Brothers may also refer to:- Film :* Brothers , an American silent film directed by D. W. Griffith* Brothers , an American film starring Vonetta McGee and Bernie Casey...
from a Jewish household . He has an undergraduate degree from McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
, and graduate degrees from Columbia
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
and the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
.
Shortly after a medical convention in New Orleans that he attended after graduating medical school, Wilson accidentally broke an antique mirror and started a bar fight when a random man repeatedly played "Leave A Tender Moment Alone
Leave a Tender Moment Alone
"Leave a Tender Moment Alone" is a song performed by Billy Joel and the fifth single from his album An Innocent Man.Paying homage to Marvin Gaye, in particular his musical style from the early 70s, the song reached only twenty-seven on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 charts and spent two weeks at number...
" by Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
to the frustration of Wilson, who was going through a divorce with his first wife at the time. Out of interest, House bailed him out and hired an attorney to clear his name, thus starting their professional relationship. In the season 1 episode "Histories", it is revealed that one of his brothers is homeless and that Wilson is unaware if he is still alive as he has not seen him in nine years. Wilson has a history of failed marriages: he is married to his third wife during the show's first season and, with the discovery of his wife's infidelity, separates from her during the second season. After the failure of his third marriage, Wilson lives in various temporary accommodations (including a stint at House's own apartment) until he meets Amber Volakis, who is a female subsitute for House. He is described as "nearly 40" in Don't Ever Change
Don't Ever Change (House episode)
"Don't Ever Change" is the twelfth episode of the fourth season of House and the eighty-second episode overall. It was also the last episode to air before the mid-season break due to the writer's strike halting production.-Plot:...
. Wilson and House's relationship has been sorely tested on many occasions.
Characterization
House describes Wilson as "a buddy of mine people say 'Thank you' to, when he tells them they are dying." House also describes Wilson as an "emotional vampire". On a date with Lisa CuddyLisa Cuddy
Dr. Lisa Cuddy, M.D., is a fictional character on the Fox medical drama House. She is portrayed by Lisa Edelstein. Cuddy was the Dean of Medicine and hospital administrator of the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey. She also becomes House's love interest through the...
, Wilson evades a question as to whether or not he wants children.
However, Wilson defends House when House's career is in jeopardy, after billionaire entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
and then chairman of the hospital board Edward Vogler (Chi McBride
Chi McBride
Kenneth "Chi" McBride is an American actor. He starred as Steven Harper on the series Boston Public, as Emerson Cod on Pushing Daisies, and recently appeared in Fox's drama Human Target.-Early life:...
) proposes a motion for House's dismissal. Wilson is the only one to vote against the motion. In response, Vogler proposes and succeeds in obtaining Wilson's dismissal from the board, but Wilson is soon reinstated thanks to Lisa Cuddy
Lisa Cuddy
Dr. Lisa Cuddy, M.D., is a fictional character on the Fox medical drama House. She is portrayed by Lisa Edelstein. Cuddy was the Dean of Medicine and hospital administrator of the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey. She also becomes House's love interest through the...
(Lisa Edelstein
Lisa Edelstein
Lisa Edelstein is an American actress and playwright. She is best known for her role as Dr. Lisa Cuddy on the television drama House.-Early life and education:...
) after she convinces the board that Vogler is the real threat to the hospital and his money is not worth the business-obsessed mindset with which he tries to rule the hospital. In a late season three episode
Resignation (House)
"Resignation" is the twenty-second episode of the third season of House and the sixty-eighth episode overall.-Plot:Nineteen-year-old Addie coughs up blood during martial arts practice and her condition soon deteriorates. House surmises that her body is "confused" and thinks she has an infection,...
it is revealed that Wilson suffers from clinical depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
and uses a prescription for his illness. Wilson is also seen to be left-handed, a trait he shares with Cuddy and Foreman.
Wilson attempts to change House's drug habits, with little success. After Cuddy makes a bet to prove House's addiction to Vicodin
Vicodin
Hydrocodone/paracetamol is a combination of two analgesic products hydrocodone and paracetamol used to relieve moderate to severe pain...
, House concedes to Wilson that he has an addiction, but says that the addiction is not a problem. It is, in fact, Wilson who usually writes House's Vicodin
Vicodin
Hydrocodone/paracetamol is a combination of two analgesic products hydrocodone and paracetamol used to relieve moderate to severe pain...
prescriptions (with Dr. Cuddy writing a few merely for leverage in her dealings with House). In Season 3, when Detective Michael Tritter
Michael Tritter
Detective Michael Tritter is a recurring fictional character in the medical drama series House, portrayed by David Morse. He is the main antagonist of the third season, which ran between 2006 and 2007. Tritter is a police detective, who tries to get Dr. Gregory House to apologize for leaving him...
(David Morse
David Morse (actor)
David Bowditch Morse is an American stage, television, and film actor. He first came to national attention as Dr. Jack Morrison in the medical drama St. Elsewhere from 1982 to 1988...
) threatens to jail House for his Vicodin addiction after finding a huge stash in his apartment, Wilson attempts to convince House to attend rehab
Drug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation is a term for the processes of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment, for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and so-called street drugs such as cocaine, heroin or amphetamines...
as the situation worsens. After Tritter pressures Wilson to testify several times, Wilson reluctantly agrees, unknown to House. Before this, Wilson watches House punch Dr. Robert Chase
Robert Chase
Dr. Robert Chase is a fictional character on the Fox medical drama House. He is portrayed by Jesse Spencer. His character was a part of the team of diagnosticians who worked under Gregory House until the end of the third season when House fires him. However, he was then re-hired in season 6...
in a reaction to his detoxing, insult Cuddy, and incorrectly diagnose a child with a condition that would have required an amputation
Amputation
Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for...
of one of her arms and legs.
Near the end of season 4, Wilson starts a romantic relationship with Amber Volakis, because she is House in female form, and who competed for one of the open jobs on House's team in the wake of Foreman, Chase, and Cameron's departure. In the season finale, she dies as a result of a bus crash sustained while picking up a drunken House from a bar. Her death eventually leads Wilson to conclude that his relationship with House only serves to enable House's dysfunctions. To remove himself from House's influence, he resigns from Princeton-Plainsboro at the beginning of season 5. The two reconcile when Wilson forces House to attend the funeral of House's father. Wilson realizes that he had been afraid of losing House, who is his true friend, and that Wilson's life didn't get any better when he resigned. He then returns to Princeton Plainsboro.
During Season 5 it is revealed that Danny, one of Wilson's brothers (who had previously been mentioned as being homeless), suffered from schizophrenia since adolescence, which is what caused him to run away in the first place. Wilson blames himself for his brother's homelessness, having hung up on his brother right before he disappeared. Wilson also reveals to House that he took the position at Princeton-Plainsboro because it was near the place he had last seen Danny. When Wilson finds out that Danny is in the psych ward of New York Mercy, House offers to come with him to keep him company, noting that it could end badly. However, when Wilson is let in to see his brother, House is busy with a differential with his team.
In the season's 15th episode "Private Lives
Private Lives (House)
"Private Lives" is the fifteenth episode of the sixth season of House. It first aired on March 8, 2010.-Plot:The team treats an avid blogger, but finds her difficult to treat when she insists on discussing all procedures and doctors on her blog. House notices that the blogger respects no privacy...
", House discovers that Wilson, in his youth, had been an actor in some scenes of a porn
PORN
Porn is a common short form for pornography. It may also refer to:* Progressive outer retinal necrosis, a disease of the retina* PORN, a French industrial rock band...
movie called "Feral Pleasures", and throughout the episode, after House hangs posters of the movie all over the hospital in a jealous rage, people start using a phrase that Wilson's character said in one of those scenes: "Be not afraid. The forest nymphs have taught me how to please a woman". In addition, Wilson proposes a joke marriage to House in "The Down Low".
Gay references have been made to the relationship between the two characters of the show. House has made a comment about the relationship between them ("I'm gay!...Oh that's not what you meant. It would explain a lot, though: no girlfriend, always with Wilson, the obsession with sneakers..."). Barbara Barnett said that "House is the needy one in the relationship, and Wilson the doormat" Verne Gay of Newsday
Newsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
described House's love for Wilson as "touching and genuine". However, Robert Sean Leonard compared the relationship between the two characters to the relationship between Cesar Millan
Cesar Millan
Cesar Millan, is a Mexican-born American dog trainer. A self-taught expert, he is widely known for his television series The Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan, now in its seventh season and broadcast in more than eighty countries worldwide...
and his pitbull
Pit bull
A Pit bull is any of several breeds of dog in the molosser breed group.Many jurisdictions that restrict pit bulls, including Ontario, Canada,, Miami, Florida, U.S...
, while Hugh Laurie
Hugh Laurie
James Hugh Calum Laurie, OBE , better known as Hugh Laurie , is an English actor, voice artist, comedian, writer, musician, recording artist, and director...
said that the relationship between the characters is "not just buddydom". The two characters appeared on the cover of the October 13, 2008 issue of TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
.
Concept and creation
Robert Sean Leonard was not initially interested in auditioning for the role of James Wilson. He believes that he got the role because of his friendship with Bryan SingerBryan Singer
Bryan Singer is an American film director and film producer. Singer won critical acclaim for his work on The Usual Suspects, and is especially well-known among fans of the science fiction and superhero genres for his work on the X-Men films and Superman Returns.-Early life:Singer was born in New...
, whom he had met in the past, shortly after he was paid for his role in Dead Poets' Society. Singer borrowed money from him to shoot Lion's Den
Lion's Den (film)
Lion's Den is a 1988 short film directed by Bryan Singer, his first film as a director. The film is about five guys meeting up at their old hang-out spot after finishing their first semester of college. The film is 25 minutes in length. Ethan Hawke who had known Bryan Singer as a kid in New Jersey...
starring his friend Ethan Hawke
Ethan Hawke
Ethan Green Hawke is an American actor, writer and director. He made his feature film debut in 1985 with the science fiction movie Explorers, before making a supporting appearance in the 1989 drama Dead Poets Society which is considered his breakthrough role...
, who also attended high school with Singer. In 2004, Leonard received the scripts for the pilot of both House and CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
' Numb3rs
NUMB3RS
Numb3rs is an American television drama which premiered on CBS on January 23, 2005, and concluded on March 12, 2010. The series was created by Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heuton, and follows FBI Special Agent Don Eppes and his mathematical genius brother, Charlie Eppes , who helps Don solve crimes...
(in which he was asked to audition for the part of Charlie Eppes
Charlie Eppes
Charles Edward "Charlie" Eppes, PhD is a fictional character and protagonist in the CBS crime drama Numb3rs.Dr...
). He thought the script for Numb3rs was "kinda cool". However, he decided to audition for the part of Wilson on House, because his character on Numb3rs was in almost every scene of the show.
Within the scope of a popular comparison that draws parallels between House and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
's Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
, Wilson is equivalent to Doctor Watson. In two-parts episodes such as Euphoria, Part 1 and Euphoria, Part 2, and House's Head
House's Head
"House's Head" is the fifteenth episode of the fourth season of House and the eighty-fifth episode overall. It was the first part of the two-part season four finale, the second part being "Wilson's Heart". Co-written by several House producers and directed by Greg Yaitanes, "House's Head" premiered...
and Wilson's Heart
Wilson's Heart
"Wilson's Heart" is the sixteenth episode and season finale of the fourth season of House and the eighty-sixth episode overall. It aired on May 19, 2008...
, Wilson's voice is heard narrating the story, while Dr. Watson is the character who narrates the stories in most of Sherlock Holmes novels. Leonard has said that his character and House were originally intended to play the role of Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes, respectively, in the series although he believes that House's team has assumed the role of Watson since the show has begun. Producer Katie Jacobs
Katie Jacobs
Katie Jacobs is an American television producer and director. Together with her husband, Paul Attanasio, the couple run Heel and Toe Films production company, which produces the Fox series House and the now defunct series Century City...
believes that Wilson and House both hide from relationships with women, because they have to stay in the closet no matter how they love each other. She has said that the difference between the two characters is that Wilson finds it hard to say no because he wants to please the other person. The similarities between Dr. Wilson and Dr. Watson was also one of the reasons that made Leonard choose House over Numb3rs.
Leonard has said that Wilson is one of the few characters to voluntarily maintain a relationship with House, because neither of them work for one another and thus his character has "nothing to lose" by telling him the truth. His character is one of the few who can make House laugh. Katie Jacobs has said that Wilson's moving into House's apartment after a failed relationship in "Sex Kills" symbolizes his taking "emotional refuge" in his friend. Leonard said that he is content with the size of his role, and wants to continue playing the character. He has also stated that he would "kill himself" if he had a role as big as the other cast members.
Reception
Responses to Leonard's performance were mostly positive. In a recap of the pilot episode, Tom ShalesTom Shales
Thomas William "Tom" Shales is an American critic of television programming and operations. He is best known as TV critic for The Washington Post; in 1988, Shales received the Pulitzer Prize...
of The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
quoted "Leonard has been playing upstanding young men for what seems like forever, but he's still one of the most outstanding upstanding young men in the acting racket". However, Sherwin Nurland of Slate
Slate (magazine)
Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
stated that Leonard often seems so detached that "he'd be better off in another show". In a recap of the season four episode "Ugly
Ugly (House)
"Ugly" is the seventh episode of the fourth season of House and the seventy-seventh episode overall. It aired on November 13, 2007. The episode revolves around a teenager named Kenny Cyrus with a major facial deformity. He is set to get surgery in order to remove the deformity, but has a heart...
" Nina Smith of TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
said that she thinks that the most convincing writing of the show has always been the scenes in which Cuddy and Wilson "spar" with House. In a 2008 press conference, Katie Jacobs
Katie Jacobs
Katie Jacobs is an American television producer and director. Together with her husband, Paul Attanasio, the couple run Heel and Toe Films production company, which produces the Fox series House and the now defunct series Century City...
, who works as an executive producer for the show, praised Leonard for being equally adept at comedy and drama. TV Gal, of Zap2it
Zap2it
Zap2it is an American website and affiliate network that provides news, photos and video, local TV listings and movie showtimes. The site is produced by Tribune Media Services , part of the publishing division of the Chicago-based Tribune Company...
, stated that she "truly appreciates" what Leonard brings to the show, being the only character who "truly stands up to House" and "quietly and subtly" giving the show "some of its best moments". In an article about whom to keep if the writers of House decided to minor down the cast, Maureen Ryan, of the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
said that Wilson can "never, never, never, never" leave the show. Ryan also listed Wilson on her list of "5 Great Characters", saying that Leonard is the "underrated linchpin of the excellent “House” cast".
After Wilson's temporary departure during Houses fifth season, Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
immediately stated that she wanted the character to return to the show. Linda Stasi of The New York Post said that Dr. House's relationship with Lucas Douglas (Michael Weston
Michael Weston
Michael Weston is an American television and film actor. His best-known roles are the private detective Lucas Douglas on House, the homicidal meth addict Jake in the critically acclaimed HBO drama Six Feet Under and Pvt...
), who temporarily replaced Wilson, was far more natural than House's relationship with Wilson. Critics from TV Guide, Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, Blog Critics and USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, all found Leonard's performance in the season 4 finale
Wilson's Heart
"Wilson's Heart" is the sixteenth episode and season finale of the fourth season of House and the eighty-sixth episode overall. It aired on May 19, 2008...
worthy of an Emmy Award
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
.
External links
- James Wilson at House Wiki
- James Wilson on the TVIV