Not just the bumbling English Idiot
As a massive fan of Blackadder (a brilliant English comedy starring Mr Hugh Laurie, as well as Tony Robinson and Rowan Atkinson) I found it hard to believe he was making a name for himself in America as a hard-ass Doctor who doesn`t take anything from anybody and lives by his own rules.
In fact, the very description of him I got, similar to the one I gave above, made my stomach turn. It sounded so very cheesy, so very “American”. That is not to say it would be terrible, but it certainly didn’t sound to my tastes.
You have to understand, in Blackadder, Hugh Laurie was always portrayed as an idiot, a bumbling fool with a very posh English accent. He was the butt of many jokes and his comedy derived from his stupidity. So to imagine him as a leader, a mystery solver and a cutting edge Doctor at the top of his game was difficult.
I suppose that is why he took the job in America. It would have been very difficult for British audiences to accept Laurie in that role. To think of Prince George, or Lieutenant George from Blackadder as a sex symbol, such as Laurie was believed to be in the states, is remarkable and very funny.
I cannot argue with the success he has been greeted with since his arrival in the USA and, having watched the show, I believe it is completely deserved. Apart from a slightly forced and weird American accent, he plays his role with confidence and his character is oddly believable.
So I raise my glass to Mr Laurie who proves he is a brilliant actor. Not only fantastic at playing the fool as he so often did in the past and not only proving his talents in comedy, but managing to woo the notoriously difficult American audience with some intense drama and make himself a sex symbol at the same time is an impressive feat. Well done sir.
Comments are closed!