Amber Tamblyn on Playing House with Hugh Laurie, Complex Roles and Her Favorite 'Crazy Girl' Film Moment

Had you been looking to get back into television when the House opportunity came along?

Well I did The Unusuals last year, which I think four people watched total, even though it was incredibly good. But I feel like I never left television. I've been doing that and have been lucky enough to be doing films on the side and be a writer and do all the stuff that I love. There was a brief time after doing Joan of Arcadia when I needed a break because that was such an intense experience on so many levels, that I wanted to take a break and rest from that television schedule. By the way, that is another reason why I am just completely blown away by Hugh because this is his seventh year doing this and he's just still so excited about being on set. He gets exhausted, but it is not a tiredness that is final or forever. He bounces back and loves his work and that is what is really charming about him. But I think it's really important for actors to not close their doors to certain mediums because of bad experiences or anything like that.

Whether it be with House, Joan of Arcadia, The Unusuals or even the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants franchise, you always seem to play complex young female characters when it seems like those roles in television and film are few and far between. Are you gauging character complexity when you read scripts or do you think that character complexity is something that the actors -- more than the writers -- are responsible for?

I actually look for characters that are quite simple to be honest. That is more relatable to me. Even someone like Tibby in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants -- on the surface, she may seem like just an average girl going through a difficult time in her first years of college, but I've always been more interested in what goes on subtextually with a character. Honestly, I could have picked some roles that really sucked. And sometimes you can't get exactly the roles you want so you try to create something magical within the confines of what you can get as an actress in this business, which is honestly what I feel like I have done a lot.

How was your character on House presented to you?

This was one of the more flattering [casting] experiences because David Shore and Katie Jacobs said, "We want to write something for you." It is rare for an actress to be handed an opportunity like this by two brilliant people.

Were you concerned that a character as intelligent and socially unaware as Martha would make the audience unsympathetic towards her?

I did get nervous that Martha would come off as annoying after the first episode. That made me nervous. I really just did not want her to become an exhausting character, but that is why David Shore is brilliant -- he knows how to balance that. For every scene where she is talking too much and other characters are rolling their eyes, there is a scene where the audience sees that this is a character who has struggled to fit in. That is going to be the beauty of her arc on this show. How do you become a full person? Is it possible to be so brilliant and still have relationships with people?

Do you see a future on House after this 13-episode arc?

I don't know. I kind of like, as an actress, going into a project and then moving on and trying a different project. I enjoy creating characters and starting new projects. That doesn't mean I have ruled it out, I am just enjoying where I am right now and not thinking about anything after these episodes right now.

Finally, it is time for a quick round of Movieline's game "My Favorite Scene." Is there one film scene that comes to mind as being your all-time favorite?

Yes! When Betty Blue rips her eyeball out in Betty Blue, the French film.

Why did that scene resonate with you?

That is just the pinnacle of a "crazy girl" scene in a film. And that actress, Béatrice Dalle, is brilliant and the scenes that follow that, with her lover dressing up in her clothes so that he can visit her in the hospital because he cannot get in -- it's just such a beautiful third act to a film. It's very memorable. I recommend it.

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