Tony Barson/WireImage.comAll I'm sayin' is that whoever does the invites for this Monte Carlo TV Fest has some damn fine taste in TV.
Lisa Edelstein (see with the good taste?) made an appearance this year, and our Senior Lucky Bastard International Junkets Correspondent got some great insight from her about House.
Read on for Lisa's take on the Huddy relationship, the future of Cuddy's uterus and how she prepared for that sexy lap dance in part one of the finale...
Cuddy is considering having a baby. Is there a parallel with your personal life because you don't have a child yet, and would this be a plot developed in future episodes?
Yes, there is a parallel between myself and Dr. Cuddy, only because of my age as an actress and the timing of the show. When the show started, I told the producers that at some point during the run of the show, if it was successful, that I was going to get pregnant one way or another. So they planted that seed in the character's story so it would be possible for me as a woman to experience that.
Since Cuddy shares feelings of frustration and love for House, which one will win?
They won't tell me. It's a secret, but I think it makes for a very interesting relationship because there's a great deal of admiration and respect, and also an incredible amount of annoyance and frustration, which is like how most relationships are in your life.
Could you tell us something fun about the lap-dance scene?
We filmed for about four hours, and there were several moves that were left out in the final edit, which were my favorite. I rehearsed for about two weeks with a special trainer who does not train strippers but trains women to do that kind of dancing for themselves or for their husbands or wives, however they may roll. It was a little scary, but it was a lot of fun.
How did Hugh handle it?
Hugh was so wonderful. I did it for him before we shot it because I was so worried. It's a whole different relationship than what we have as friends working together. So for Hugh and the director and producer of that episode, I did a personal lap dance and showed it to them, and Hugh was incredibly supportive, like a cheerleader. There was nothing about what he did that made me uncomfortable. He appreciated it as a man, up to the level that he could and should in a way that was not inappropriate. I felt beautiful, and it ended up being a really lovely experience.
On Ally McBeal you played a transsexual, and on The West Wing you played a prostitute. How did those roles challenge you as an actress?
As for the variations in character...being an actress, you feel like a whore most of the time, so that [latter role] was easy. As far as playing a man becoming a woman, I've known a lot of transgenders in my life. At the time they really didn't have many characters like that on TV, so I tried to just be respectful and sophisticated in the way we presented that storyline, which was really beautiful. Except I didn't like the way the reveal happened. She never would have been dancing that close without some form of tucking.
—Reporting by Bryan Reesman