Robert Sean Leonard

When the sixth season of “House” premieres on AXN on Thursday night at 10 p.m. (check cable listings), it will all be about Dr. Gregory House’s battle against his Vicodin addiction at the Mayfield Psychiatric Hospital. But the multi-awarded TV show’s popularity is not just about Hugh Laurie’s obnoxious or sarcastic yet well-loved TV diagnostician. It’s also about the other cast in the show and an example is Robert Sean Leonard who plays Dr. James Wilson, an Oncologist and the best friend of House.

Though Dr. House works with a team of diagnosticians, Dr. James Wilson is deemed with his side kick because of their deep friendship for years. Even if Dr. Wilson would often be the recipient of Dr. House’s punch lines or pranks, he would always be the person who helps restore balance in Dr. House’s life and medical career.

In this new season of “House,” Dr. Wilson will be placed on the spotlight when he gets his own episode aptly entitled “Wilson” wherein he would be engaged in treating a former patient and friend named Tucker. This would also be one of those few times viewers would get a glimpse of how Dr. Wilson works, where he works and the people he works with as well.

In an interview, Robert Sean Leonard expressed excitement over an episode on his character Dr. Wilson. But being the focus of an episode or the show itself wasn’t the reason he was drawn to the show in the first place. He revealed that he was deciding about “House” and another TV series and he chose the former because his character would just be seen a number of times per week. He was contented to be the best friend of House. Though in the new season, he would be seen more because Dr. Wilson and Dr. House would be living together.

He admitted though in an interview that in his age and status now as a husband and having a daughter, he wouldn’t be best friends with somebody like Dr. House in real life. For him Dr. House is someone who would always get anybody in trouble and unpredictable especially when he wants to screw-up a person.

According to him, unlike Hugh Laurie, he is just on the set of “House” for two days a week. He described it to be a 14-hour day with a lot of filming involved. This taxing aspect of “House” is something he used to do even before he was in the series because of Robert Sean Leonard’s experience as a stage actor.

Robert whimsically commented in one of his interviews about playing Dr. Wilson that he is used to working for long and tedious hours on stage. But in “House” he is “overpaid” and “praised” which makes portraying Dr. Wilson on TV the best gig ever for him.

Being a stage actor, how does he play Dr. Wilson?

For Robert Sean Leonard, playing Dr. Wilson didn’t necessitate him learning a new skill for his character. He is about reading the script and being prepared on stage. What drives him or motivates him in playing Dr. Wilson is the scene that he is in, and he makes sure that he gets his scene done well!

And how does he describe his character Dr. Wilson?

Robert Sean Leonard is amazed how viewers depict his character to be normal. But once dissected, they’d rediscover that Dr. Wilson is a “strange man.” His “strangeness” may be overshadowed by Dr. House’s very loud character but the actor doesn’t call Dr. Wilson normal – he has three ex-wives and living now with House in the new season is far from being called “normal.”

Also premiering on AXN on Thursday night after “House” at 11 p.m. is the third season of “Damages” which stars Glenn Close as the brilliant lawyer Patty Hewes.