Not to argue too much, or anything, but basically RSL was doing the emotionally detached, yuppie thing in Tape playing off Ethan Hawke. You could probably draw some similarities between House and Vince in the movie. The only thing I can say is that RSL managed to make me go from hating him based on a character he played to loving him based on a character he played. (Horribly unfair, I know) Now I love him because I love his sense of humor, I like how quirky he is. But, I first saw him in Much Ado About Nothing and to this day I hate his character in that movie, mostly when I love an actor who plays a jerk I still like the character because I'm so attached to the actor but not in this case. I still hate that he got a happy ending in that movie, becuase I just don't think he deserved one. Then I saw DPS and I started off the movie hating him because I didn't like RSL, I already knew how the movie ended (thanks 'Friends') and I didn't care. Within about an hour, he had me desperately not wanting the ending to come, he had me completely on Neil's side. To me, that's a good actor, because I don't often change my mind about actors. I also love Tape as a movie and I love all three performances in it. One thing that strikes me about Wilson is RSL's comedic timing, which I have never seen before 'House.' I was impressed at just how funny he can be, and his delivery when bantering with House is always smooth and perfect. He's a focused character too. RSL, a lot of the time, seems to be off in his own little world. And yes, in The Itch he had been woken up in the middle of the night, I act like a zombie too.

Heh, LMC, do you feel any differently about Much Ado if you know RSL hated that character too? He doesn't like any of the young men in Shakespeare's plays, much preferring the young women's roles or the older men's.

do you feel any differently about Much Ado if you know RSL hated that character too? Ha, actually I remember hearing that he didn't like Claudio either and it did make me feel much better. :D

But it shouldn't look like he's trying. One of the things I love about what RSL and HL bring to their scenes together is a naturalness that makes it feel like we're peeking in on them, and not watching two "actors" playing a scene. I'm not implying that he should start chewing scenery or anything but I really don't see any particular genius there, for lack of a better term. What I want to see is not an actor playing a scene but an actor that is actually engaged in the character he is playing. Lately, for me, the Wilson scenes have been rather flat, like RSL plugged in his facial responses, ticks, etc. into a computer and then just let her rip. I see no underlying grief, in his acting to reference Amber and no real shades of anger toward House since Birthmarks. Part of the problem I had with the Wilson/Cuddy scenes in this episode were mostly due to the fact that it was basically Season 2 Wilson acting with Season 5 Cuddy. To me, RSL in real life is far more stilted and quirkish than is Wilson. Wilson has a smoothness in his reactions and his movements that RSL doesn't normally have (which is one of the reasons I think RSL comes off badly in interviews, in that he's naturally a little off center -- nothing wrong with that. I like quirky, but quirky doesn't translate well to a broad audience who doesn't get your sense of humor.) So the fact that Wilson seems so smooth and carries off the persona so well is a tribute to what RSL brings to the character, not a sign that he's not trying, IMO, of course. He has quit doing the Woody Allen impression as of late, that always used to crack me up in Seasons 1 and 2. I think RSL has that pretentious ACTOR! persona that kind of annoys me in some cases. I mean, anytime actors bitch about how much they have to work, I get a little steamed. I don't think Wilson is hiding his prickishness as well as he thinks he is. I remember in season 2, there was a scene where he was comforting some nurse and then House called him. It was so obvious that he was like, 'excuse me miss, I'll get back to trying to get laid in a second, have to do doctor stuff now.' In the context of the show, it makes Wilson look like a pansy, to hang out with House because he wishes he could be that mean. So I just don't think RSL played all of those scenes correctly. He needed to be more subtle so he didn't come off like a high school girl. I still thought the scenes were funny, but I was laughing at sleazy!Wilson and not enjoying a particularly nuanced performance.

razor, you are certainly entitled to your opinion, but I totally, completely disagree with you. In my opinion, RSL is brilliant as Wilson, and to me his brilliance is due his subtly and the way he is able to show what he is really thinking and feeling without any words I don't think I am the only one who thinks that underneath all of Wilson's perfection and nice guy persona, deep down he is really a screwed up, vulnerable, almost tortured soul. Yet in his lines, he almost never, ever shows his true emotions, it all comes from the nuances and tiny things that RSL does that show that there is so much really going on. Even in the three scenes in BB, which I absolutely loved, I think he is giving hints about a whole lot more than just reassuring Cuddy that she will eventually bond with the baby. Like in the first scene, when he leaves, and we can't even see his face, but just the way he walks with his head down, his shoulders slumped, show how troubled he was. Or the second scene, at the end, when he told Cuddy that he doesn't know what to say, the way he stuttered and hesitated when he said those lines. And the tiny bit that got to me the most was the end of the third scene, after he admitted the truth about the picture, the way he sat there, hunched over, with his hand over his eyes. To me that was about a whole lot more than just the little stunt with Cuddy. Maybe there were some scenes in earlier seasons when he was a bit stilted and theatrical with some lines, but since the pilot I think the little wordless things are what RSL does brilliantly and makes Wilson so incredibly complex and poignant, at least to me.

I see no underlying grief, in his acting to reference Amber and no real shades of anger toward House since Birthmarks. Except I don't think we're supposed to see either grief or anger in Wilson in those scenes. What we've learned about him over the past few seasons is that he "compulsively looks out for the person with," whether it's a platonic or romantic relationship. As House said, Wilson was worried about Cuddy. Those scenes weren't about Wilson's own pain, it was about Cuddy's fears and disappointment in herself, and I thought his obvious distress at not being able to help her was absolutely in character for Wilson. Although I enjoy the broad comic or dramatic moments, I actually think RSL is at his absolute best in the quiet moments, when he lets just a little bit of the Wilson mask slip. Both he and Hugh Laurie are eloquent in their silences. But that's something that can't work unless it's supported by the writing, and the scenes that Wilson has been given in the last few episodes haven't been about his pain or introspection, but about him supporting or enabling (or in the case of "Joy to the World," screwing with the minds of) other characters.

Yet in his lines, he almost never, ever shows his true emotions, it all comes from the nuances and tiny things that RSL that show that there is so much really going on. You know, another thing that blows me away about RSL is that everytime Wilson lies (well, most times) there's usually at least a brief second where I buy it. Everything I know about him tells me he's lying and screwing with House/Cuddy/insert duckling here, but he always leaves me with a little doubt until the truth comes out. I used to wonder how House in all his brilliance could be so easily fooled by Wilson all the time, but with the lies/mind games in 'Lucky Thirteen,' 'The Itch,' and 'Joy to the World,' he had me going too, if only for a minute. It's frustrating that I still fall for it (perhaps I'm just very gullible) but it's one of the things I love about Wilson and the way RSL plays him.

I don't care how much RSL bitches about his job -it amuses me that he doesn't seem to give a crap about giving good PR or soundbites to the press. I remember an interview where he said that he thought his role on the show was like a study in behaviorism. Hey that works for me. I'm not seeing any overthetop ACTORY stuff -he's pretty understated, natural. I don't think he's phoning it in you know, there's just not been anything going on for the Wilson character besides meddling in the House/Cuddy will they or won't they romance and now the Cuddy baby drama, the writer's are supposed to be addressing the Amber stuff soon...and I'm looking forward to seeing the llb stuff. <--- Mod Note: Please use white text for all spoilers. Thank you. Poeia

I guess I just don't see it as a particularly effective 'nice guy' persona. I guess the thing is, the more I see of Wilson, the less I like him because a lot of the time when Wilson lies or manipulates someone it comes off as completely uneeded. RSL plays the character pretty straight, so when he does something like make up story about a new store that has an FBI database computer that ages pictures, there should be some kind inflection or some kind of physical indication from Wilson that doing something like that is crazy. Instead, RSL plays it completely straight and LE is like: 'Oh, that Wilson, what a scamp!' The Narrative can ignore an arc but I don't think the actor should. Wilson is coming off like he learned nothing from his relationship with Amber and I think RSL is to blame for not adding new layers. I guess you could also look at his persona as a mask but if that is the case, I don't think we've ever seen exactly what he's covering up.

razor, who do you think is a good actor on the show? Other than Hugh Laurie; we all know about his brilliance. What do they do to make you believe their performances? RSL plays the character pretty straight, so when he does something like make up story about a new store that has an FBI database computer that ages pictures, there should be some kind inflection or some kind of physical indication from Wilson that doing something like that is crazy. But that isn't crazy. You don't need an FBI database to age pictures; there's publicly available software that does it. ETA: Here's one on-line site where you can do it: http://www.age-me.com/

I don't think RSL is a bad actor, I just felt like he was phoning it in this season. Part of the reason why it is so annoying is that I know how good he can be. I thought RSL did a wonderful job up to Lucky 13 when the Wilson character actually had good dialogue and character development. He was absolutely brilliant, for example during the entire last scene in Dying Changes Everything and I could feel his pain over Amber and over House. The way he said "I should have been on the bus" and changed that to "You should have been on the bus." for example. Those lines are so stark and it would be so easy to screw up their delivery by either going for too dramatic or too flat. But he nailed them. And he made me laugh my head off during the prank he played on House in Lucky 13. Like I said, he's a comedy god. Wilson has practically disappeared from the show since Lucky 13 and the few appearances he has made since then were as matchmaker for House/Cuddy, supportive friend to Cuddy and side-kick to House. Not much to bite into there admittedly but I don't agree that he's phoning it in. I loved the way he played that scene where he asked Cuddy out on a date to play a trick on House, for example. You couldn't tell if he was relieved or disappointed that she saw through him and turned him down. There are way too many mediocre actors on film and tv which is why I treasure RSL's brilliant acting so much. I think its great you're expressing your opinions because you've provoked some of us into delving into just why we think he is a good actor and its made for some interesting posts.

I love RSL so much. There's just no way I could watch House without his character, Wilson. I get the feeling RSL is playing Wilson as if there's still some H/W awkwardness-estrangement - still bubbling below the surface. One of the reasons RSL is my favorite House character is his nuancing of his character's feelings and reactions. The other aspect of Wilson I find intriguing is how well hidden the character is. I almost fell off my chair when Wilson told Cuddy the picture came with the frame. I really don't know Wilson yet. All I see are his layers which makes him all the more interesting.

I see what you're saying, razor. It's not that I think RSL is a bad actor by any means...but I agree about the sometimes phoning-it-in. A few times this season I felt the same way about Hugh. It just seemed like they were over-the-top acting to the point of being goofy instead of trying to make it realistic. I think both are immensely talented, but sometimes I get the feeling they're somewhat frustrated with the recent material as well - or they had a bad day, or I'm just wrong.