Michael Ausiello of EW.com just posted a short new red carpet interview with Olivia Wilde about her character on House, M.D. (Fox), calling Thirteen “a bit of a lightening rod” and mentioning that her character isn’t very well liked.
“I think it’s because [Thirteen] had a gay sex scene,” Wilde offers as an explanation, laughing a little. “I gotta be honest with you, I think that’s what it is…if [House co-star] Peter Jacobson had a gay sex scene, you’d be saying that to him.”
As much as I hate to disagree with anyone who looks like this… or this… …I think Olivia’s wrong about why House viewers don’t like her character (assuming her comment wasn’t a joke, which it doesn’t appear to be, but Wilde has a very dry sense of humor, so watch the video and decide for yourself).
I think House viewers don’t like Thirteen because she’s a polarizing character, her relationship with Foreman is boring, and her unevenly written storyline has been given increased screen time at the expense of some of the characters who’ve been there longer and are better liked by viewers.
None of which is Wilde’s fault, but I don’t think it’s due to the audience’s homophobia (or biphobia), either. I think the only problem most viewers had with the gay sex scene was that it was edited down for broadcast – and that it hasn’t occurred again.
If the writers really wanted to make Thirteen more likable, I’d suggest they forget Foreteen and have Olivia unexpectedly fall in love with one of her lesbian one-night stands and struggle to reconcile that with her mortality – with a few minutes less screen time in each episode, so the other characters can have a little more. (Bonus for queer viewers – we’d get to skip all the boring coming-out angst! Because who cares what people think when you only have a few years to live?) House fans, weigh in here – can the arranged marriage between Thirteen and House viewers be saved? And how?
