And, like Ranee said, it does start to cross that line between character and actor. I don't think it does cross the line between character and actor for the actor. I think it's possible that it does for some fans, though. Consider all the RPS and RPF that is written. I think most actors are professional enough to express admiration for a co-worker's talent and physicality while also maintaining distance between their real and fictional lives.

But is it somehow seen as less to say something to the effect of, "OMG, I'm so thrilled to be working with Hugh because he's so amazingly talented/funny/smart/generous/legendary, etc." I mean, why take it that extra step that indicates its okay to trample all over the lines of common decency and gush about how sexy he is? To be fair, who knows what all she said about him or why she even said that in particular? It wasn't a part of the interview, it was a quote blurb next to a picture. The "gazing" part was an editorial comment, not a quote from her. "He's a sexy man" is the only thing they attributed to her, so who knows what the context was. That said, I actually don't care. It doesn't particularly offend me. In my current work place I don't see anyone doing that and I'm thankful for it because I don't really care for half of them. I've worked in far more casual places with closer knit groups who would be perfectly comfortable making off handed comments like that without giving it much thought or taking it too seriously. I imagine that it all hinges on the comfort level of the people doing the commenting and has nothing to do with my outside interpretation of it.

I think most people in 'showbizz' (or their loved ones) understand that those interviews aren't really them. It's just as much of a performance as an actual part. It's why you see actors using the same lines about the same topic or the same jokes over and over again, it's just something they've practically rehearsed. In this case, the public, the promo department, the interviewer andtheir dog think HL is sexy and want to hear it from someone who knows him upclose. I'm pretty sure they'd say if even if they didn't/don't find him attractive. This is what HL was referring to in his Golden Globe speech this year (I think) when he said that it couldn't be possible that everyone had a nice cast and crew and how someone had to be working with a crew of drunken thieves? It's the same thing. It's expected of them that they gush because those positive emotions transfer to the show and because people like it.

What you said. It's business, promoting the show by promoting your co-star. "Watch 'House' because Hugh Laurie is sexy". What I find weird is when an actor/actress is asked if s/he's attracted to the co-star or are having a relationship with him/her because their characters are. Especially when one of both of them is married.

Well, yeah...that's just creepy. And it's even less acceptable when it's not just a reporter being cute but is, instead, a reporter who's having a little problem distinguishing fiction from reality. Someone on one of the red carpets last year was interviewing Ron Livingston and his "Standoff" costar who's name is totally slipping my mind right now and they'd clearly gotten real life confused with make believe. They heavily implied that the two costars were romantically involved and both of them looked a little confused, like should they correct it or just ignore it in case that isn't what they were actually trying to say. It was awkward. But, yeah...I agree with pipeloe on the reasoning behind the comments in the first place. It's part of the gig. And even though, if I suddenly became a famous actress tommorrow, I'd probably be squicked out by being asked about what it was like to kiss a costar, I'd have a quick answer for it and forget about it as soon as it was all over.

I'm not sure if it makes a difference. At least not IMO. I have/had no idea of the marital status of OW. And I doubt I'll ever get to the point that I care that much about her. I just think it's weird to make those sorts of comments about a married man. I mean, obviously, a fan will make those sorts of gushing statements all the time, regardless of whether the object of their affection is married or not, but those sorts of things are by all intents and purposes, anonymous. Where I think it's weird is when a co-worker does it. Do they care what co-worker's spouse thinks when they read the paper and see comments like that? Well, show business is the only business where the Sexiest whatever is in magazines every week...and part of the business is image. It seems like it's part of the game. You wouldn't want to have a co-star saying the star who is loved and lusted after described as "just okay" or to act indifferently. You'd want the audience's feelings validated. That's what sells. IMHO Of course, it helps that the star is pretty damn cool, fascinating, and sexy. The thing that hits me is that HL has been in the business for a long time, was probably recognized on the street in some places and has had an image that was not particularly sexy - lovable, perhaps, but not sexy. He understood the business and all it entails, especially his place in it as a lovable character actor. Now, his image has been reinvented, not by design, but by fate(?). He is a "sex symbol", a star who is known and recognized. He finds himself stalked by the ubiquitous digital camera, perceived in ways that at one level must be thrilling, maybe even something that he coveted in the abstract (as anyone might), but on other levels still completely odd or even unnerving. His family, and his wife, in particular, has had to readjust to this new reality which may or may not be temporary. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, just that it must be a little disorienting.

Is there a thread for complaining about Sara M.? No? That's a real shame. But OT: Robert Sean Leonard's bestest lines-- "He slept on House's couch a couple times, but now he lives in a hotel. Yeah, not much with the ladies, uh, Wilson." and "You are like Bill Gates with all this technical speak. Um, well, I like the web because you can get email. "

I think I would probably agree with this overall perspective more if "House" were billed as some sexy show. But it isn't. This isn't "Desperate Housewives" or "Grey's Anatomy" or "Sex in the City" where those are the attributes you DO want to put forth the most. Tell that to Katie Jacobs. She's the one who likes to "play with the ships" and keeps talking about injecting "more sex" into the show (blech!). I've always found it strange that the females associated with "House" keep blurting that out. They seem more like fangirls than professionals to me. So do the producers. It bothers me too. We get it, HL is great, we wouldn't be watching the show if he weren't - think of something new to say, please. Hugh, despite his overall embarassment at the notion, is pretty sexy. (shrug) I think that House is sexy, but that Hugh Laurie isn't. Maybe that's why I have an easier time believing that the female co-stars are just promoting the show. As for those other actors you mentioned, the only ones I can put a face to are James Woods and the Sopranos guy and they are not sexy.

(shrug) I think that House is sexy, but that Hugh Laurie isn't. Totally agree.

I don't know everything that OW said in that particular instance and perhaps alot got edited out. Maybe it's really the editors of the entertainment journals that find Hugh overwhelmingly sexy and his co-workers are just mentioning it in passing. But I've always found it strange that the females associated with "House" keep blurting that out. They seem more like fangirls than professionals to me. I doubt Hugh's losing any sleep over it, but I do continue to find it a little off-putting. Personally I think they do it just to tease Hugh. 8)

I think I would probably agree with this overall perspective more if "House" were billed as some sexy show. But it isn't. This isn't "Desperate Housewives" or "Grey's Anatomy" or "Sex in the City" where those are the attributes you DO want to put forth the most. It wasn't conceived as such (I don't think) but sometimes shows strike a particular nerve and one of the things that drew people to the show early on was Hugh's charisma and House's magnetism. I know *they* saw it in him, but I don't know what they thought the audience would see. Still, the audience did see it. So, while it wasn't shopped as a sexy soap, it did strike a chord with a lot of viewers in the same way that GA or something along those lines did. "House" showed up in the Fall of 2004. GA showed up in the late winter of 2005. By the following fall Hugh was beating Patrick Dempsy in "sexiest doctor" reader polls left and right. So, maybe House wasn't designed to be a pin-up (and isn't your traditional pin-up), but things took a turn early on. I said from the beginning that "House" was so much fun because it wasn't easily categorized. It was a character driven show pretending to be a plot driven show, a serial pretending to be a procedural. People bitched about the formula and others argued that there wasn't enough of a formula. And even though it's not the best argument since I'm convinced that certain people could see ships in a one man show, people immediately latched on to the big three relationships. Even when there weren't a lot of viewers, House/Cameron, House/Cuddy and House/Wilson had fans, putting it on a level playing field as something like GA. So, it doesn't seem weird to me that, for example, Lisa would mention that Hugh's got sex appeal in the same way that Teri Hatcher might mention that Jamie Denton has sex appeal. Hugh not being the traditional Jamie Dentonesque soap lead makes it even more "newsworthy". It's like back in the early nineties when guys like Alan Rosenberg were making the cover of TV Guide with stories about "unlikely hearthrobs" and shit like that. Sure, Hugh's a little more in the traditional "hot guy" category than Rosenberg (though not necessarily back then), but it's the same basic premise. Throw in all those things and in spite of clearly having other angles they could report on the show from, they have an easy selling point and don't have to exert too much effort. Tell that to Katie Jacobs. She's the one who likes to "play with the ships" and keeps talking about injecting "more sex" into the show (blech!). Well, to be fair, David Shore's the one who created House/Cameron and House/Stacy early on in the run. And Bryan Singer's the one who was on board the "Hugh Laurie has beautiful eyes" train before KJ took over the reigns. The men "inject" the sexy as well, even the straight ones!