Hugh Laurie Believes This Was House's Most Important Relationship

Hugh Laurie's Dr. Gregory House had plenty of complicated relationships over the course of "House," but Laurie believed one stood at the center of the Fox medical drama.

According to the actor, that relationship was with House's on-screen best friend, Dr. James Wilson, who was played by Robert Sean Leonard. "Way before this idiot word 'bromance' was coined ... I think it's true that there was a great sort of weird romantic love between House and Wilson," Laurie told GQ in 2017. "I suppose that was the show's central core relationship, and it was irresistible to me."

This answer makes sense for fans of the Fox series, considering how the characters were set up for a Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson-style dynamic — but their connection went deeper, which paid off both on and off screen. "I certainly did grow... I'd stop short of saying romantically involved with Robert Sean Leonard, but we became very close and enjoyed each other's company," Laurie noted. "He made me laugh an indecent amount."

According to Hugh Laurie, the creative team behind Fox's hit medical drama understood House and Wilson's dynamic particularly well. He singled out series creator David Shore, who also served as showrunner, writer, and director, and used one small rewrite to illustrate his point.

While speaking to GQ, Laurie recalled a Season 6 scene from House's time away from diagnostic medicine, when he takes on domestic duties at Wilson's apartment, including doing Wilson's laundry. "Wilson gets home one day, and House has got a basket of laundry and he says something like, 'Your shirts aren't dry yet, but you've got plenty of underwear.'"

Shore's version was, "We've got plenty of underwear," changing just one word from "you've" to "we've." The tiny tweak neatly captured their dynamic. "I thought was one of the funniest rewrites you could possibly have in the smallest number of letters," the actor said.