Even though TV’s most famous doctor was earning $700,000 per episode in the final season, *House* star Hugh Laurie said he still feels like a fraud.
Laurie regrets playing a “fake version” of a doctor instead of becoming a real one, as his father had hoped. He admitted that his “dad would have hated” the easier path he chose by becoming an actor.
Keep reading to find out why Laurie chose acting over medicine.
Dr. William (Ran) Laurie, Hugh’s father, had big dreams for his youngest son, born in June 1959.
Hugh Laurie was on track to follow in his father’s footsteps. His father was not only a respected physician but also a 1948 Olympic gold medalist in rowing and a graduate of a Cambridge college.
When British-born Hugh Laurie was studying at the same college as his father, he was also a member of the rowing team, with plans to train for the Olympics and then go to medical school.
However, Laurie discovered a drama club, the Cambridge Footlights, a sketch comedy group. There, he met actress Emma Thompson (*The Remains of the Day*) and his future comedy partner, Stephen Fry, who later co-starred with him in the 1997 film *Wilde*.
Laurie’s path changed completely.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the now 64-year-old actor appeared in several TV shows, including the BBC sitcom *Blackadder*, where he co-starred with Fry.
Hugh Laurie also appeared in the 1995 film *Sense and Sensibility* with Emma Thompson, with whom he had once been in a relationship. He starred in Disney’s live-action *101 Dalmatians* (1996) and even made a guest appearance on *Friends*.
In 2004, Laurie was offered the chance to play a doctor in a new TV series called *House*, a medical drama that ran for eight seasons.
In his Golden Globe-winning role as Dr. Gregory House, Laurie dropped his British accent and perfectly played the narcissistic genius who led a teaching hospital in New Jersey.
During the show’s run, Laurie became Hollywood’s most popular doctor, gaining a huge global fan base. However, life as a celebrity also brought its own challenges.
“I had some pretty bleak times, dark days when it felt like there was no way out,” Hugh Laurie said in a 2013 interview with *Radio Times* (via *Daily Mail*). “I have a strong work ethic, so I was determined never to be late or miss a single day of filming. You wouldn’t catch me calling in sick, saying, ‘I think I’m getting the flu.’ But there were times when I’d think, ‘If I had a little accident on the way to the studio and got a couple of days off to recover, that would be great.’”
Those days off didn’t come until 2012, with the final season of *House*.
After that, Laurie kept busy, appearing in TV shows like *Veep* and the 2015 science fiction film *Tomorrowland*, which starred another famous TV doctor, George Clooney.
In 2016, Hugh Laurie took on another doctor role, this time as neuropsychiatrist Dr. Eldon Chance in the TV series *Chance*.
The *Maybe Baby* star explained to the *Los Angeles Daily News*, “As a gambler, my instinct is to walk away after even a modest win… Yet I was drawn back to this wonderful project that was simply irresistible.” Comparing *House* to his role in *Chance* (which was canceled after two seasons in 2017), Laurie said, “The characters are very different. Their medical practices and attitudes toward life are completely different.”
Despite his Hollywood fame, Laurie, who also starred in 2018’s *Holmes & Watson*, still feels he let his father down by not becoming a real doctor. His father, who passed away from Parkinson’s disease in 1998, had been a respected physician.
“My father was a real doctor. If it’s true that many men try to become versions of their father and fail, it seemed fitting that I ended up being a fake version of a doctor,” said Laurie, who also played a doctor in the 2005 film *The Big Empty*.
“My father had high hopes for me to follow him into medicine,” Hugh Laurie said. “I would have liked to become a doctor myself, and I still have dreams about being one. We live in a world of shortcuts, don’t we? And I took those shortcuts. Dad would have hated that.”
Laurie calls himself a “cop-out,” adding, “Honestly, this causes me a lot of guilt.”
What do you think about Hugh Laurie’s surprising confession? Please share your thoughts in the comments below and share this story so we can hear what others think!
Everyone was wondering what happened to Carrie Underwood’s husband
Carrie Underwood, together with her husband Mike Fisher, are a common couple on the red carpet. They have walked together at some of the world’s most prestigious award ceremonies, including the Grammys, CMA Awards, and American Music Awards.
Usually, we can’t get over how cute this retired hockey player’s spouse is with her country music star husband.
The CMT Music Awards is one event where Fisher is always sure to be seen warmly supporting his wife. Seasons in which the former standout player for the Nashville Predators appeared with Underwood were 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019.
Award shows experienced a slight alteration in operations after the epidemic, but Fisher reunited with his amazing wife in 2022.
But when the 2023 CMT Awards were held in Austin, Texas on April 2, Fisher was nowhere to be found. So what’s the deal?
Don’t think that Mike Fisher and Carrie Underwood are at odds with each other in paradise. He declined to go in person to support his wife, who was up for both Female Video of the Year and Video of the Year at the 2023 CMT Awards.
When asked where her husband was, the “Hate My Heart” singer said, “On the red carpet, he was really on dad duty for the evening.”
“My partner is in charge of the kids. He usually keeps things running while I work on tasks like these. She called out to her three boys, and even at home, she appeared to be keeping an eye on them. Oh no!
Notably, compared to prior years, the former hockey great most likely did not have as much access to the 2023 award presentation. The CMTs have recently taken place in Nashville, the birthplace of country music.
This incident took place near Franklin, Underwood, and Fisher’s suburban Nashville home. However, in November 2022, the award presentation was scheduled to relocate to Texas.
Underwood looked amazing in a rhinestone two-piece that would have placed her on any Best Dressed list, yet it appeared as though she was making the most of her time in Texas, away from her sons.
Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher, who are well-known, try to keep their two children, Jacob and Isaiah, out of the spotlight. In order to avoid disturbing their routine, Fisher and the singer of “Jesus Take the Wheel” decided not to bring the kids on tour with them last year.
Underwood stated, “They are not coming with me this time,” to ET Canada. “My oldest child’s education is our top priority, and she is enrolled in school. We want their lives to be as normal as possible.
Fisher is a hands-on parent, Underwood continued, which frees her up to concentrate on her work. I also think of myself as fortunate. She muttered, “I have to brag a little about my hubby. “He understands it. When I’m not here, he keeps it under lock and key. I never have to worry about lunches that aren’t packed or unclean laundry.
That makes sense, too, given Fisher’s desire to become a parent. Before Isaiah was born in 2015, he told The Tennessean how excited he was to become a father.
Regarding having children, he remarked, “Many say it’s impossible to explain until it happens, and then it’s the greatest thing ever.” “I’m just thinking about how I can be the best father I can be.”
It wasn’t always like this, even if Mike Fisher and Carrie Underwood appear to be the ideal pair right now. Underwood initially doubted Fisher’s ability to be a good mother, but Fisher has always desired to be a caring mother.
The country music icon stated, “I’ve never been fantastic with other people’s children. Why would I be terrific with one of my own?” in the documentary “Mike and Carrie: God & Country.” She added that at first, having a family wasn’t even at the top of her list of priorities.
“I don’t think I ever thought about getting married and starting a family,” the woman stated. “I can play well alone.” Fisher, on the other hand, was the total opposite.
I was reared with my three other siblings. My parents were also great. And I believe that’s all I was hoping for,” he remarked. “I wanted to be the best father I could be, to be like my father, and to have a wife like my mother.” and have children while living in the country.
All in all, though, everything worked out well because Underwood and Fisher, along with their two children, now live in the nation. After Isaiah was born, Underwood’s entire perspective on fatherhood had dramatically altered. It has changed the kind of person I am. Now I feel better. I’m in a better mood most of the time,” she stated in a Redbook Mag interview. “I’m totally smitten!”
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