Jennifer Morrison plays Dr. Allison Cameron on House M.D. One of House’s (the brilliant Hugh Laurie) original fellows, Cameron now runs the Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital Emergency Room. In addition to her House duties, Morrison is featured in this spring’s Star Trek feature film. The busy and gracious Morrison kindly took time out of her hectic schedule to talk with me by phone about House and working on Star Trek.
When the series premiered in 2004, Morrison’s character Cameron was a naïve ingénue. But over the course of five seasons, Cameron has continued to grow and mature. Morrison feels lucky that her character has been able to grow, and not remained static as characters often do on long-running series. “I think that’s one of the fears doing a TV show.” If the series was going to run for a long time, “I wanted to make sure that the character would grow just like a normal person would over the years. I feel very lucky that the writers totally built that into the story.”
Morrison credits executive producer (and director of the pilot) Bryan Singer (“Superman Returns,” “X-Men,” “Usual Suspects”) for setting Cameron on the right path from the beginning. “By allowing her to show more of her vulnerability and insecurities about her herself at the beginning,” she noted, “It gave a lot more room for her to grow over the years. I really agreed with that and thought that Bryan was right on about it.”
In the series first season or two, explained Morrison, Cameron was “a woman who had worked very hard to 
get to where she is. She is very smart and always at the top of her class. But she still hadn’t had an opportunity to prove herself.” Working under someone as hostile and abrasive as House “brings out your insecurities rather than your confidence,” not exactly an easy environment for Cameron to overcome her vulnerabilities.
Morrison reminded me that Cameron even began reading self-help books on assertiveness (remember season one’s “Control” and Cameron’s “soft positional bargaining?”). But she still had a long way to go. As time went on, reflected Morrison, her character found a sort of “shaky middle ground where sometimes she could find it and assert herself, and sometimes she’d kind of falter.” By the time she resigns from House’s team at the end of season three, “she’s standing her own ground and running her own department in the ER.”
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Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Sandra
Jennifer is such a lovely person, she's my favorite on the show (besides Hugh, of course)! And she made me really really curious about the season's finale, can't wait to see it!
Thank you so much for the wonderful interview, Barbara!
2 - Micky
She's a lovely person, a rarity on that world!
I can't wait to see Star Trek either!!!
Thank you for the interview!
3 - Sea
Barbara, thanks for interviewing Jennifer Morrison, she's such a sweetie. I love how well she understands Cameron and that she's so in synchrony with her fans and their vision of her character.
Did she mention by any chance if she was committed to House at least for three more seasons or if she would be back next season?
4 - capetown
Thank you so much for interviewing Jennifer Morrison! She is always so enthusiastic and gracious. I loved the part about making sure her character started out a certain way, so she would be able to grow. And she has, beautifully! The analogy about the cocoon and butterfly was really nice, too. And I loved reading her view on what Hugh brings out in his character. I do hope we'll be seeing much more of Cameron in the coming year!
5 - barbara barnett
It was a pretty short interview, Sea, so I didn't get to ask her about long term committment to the show (and I didn't want to put her on the spot, either--or make her uncomfortable in any way--wasn't that sort of interview).
I agree that she does understand Cameron well.
6 - Louise
What a lovely interview, Barbara. You asked really interesting questions about her character's development. You did an professional intelligent interview.
When I first started watching House, I thought "Oh, she just 'the beautiful one.'" Over time, I have seen what an excellent actress she is. One thing that I really like about the way the character has grown is that she really goes toe to toe with House, very much as a peer. (I know, he will always be her teacher.) But, facing down House takes some screen presence, and she really pulls it off. Good of her to her to visit with you and with us.
7 - Louise
Just a thought: I'd really love to hear an interview with a/the House costume designer. I think they do absolutely wonderful work. House's t-shirts and blazers are super--I always try to read the t-shirts with print and graphics. (Where did he get that interview suit in a recent episode? Sharp!) Cuddy's clothes are wonderful--generally too sexy for her job (those pencil skirts!), more serious when they need to be, over-the-top when they need to be. Morrison's scrubs the past two season signal her new status. Even Chase's new grubby look helps build the character's development. I would argue against some of the heels the women wear--the female doctors I know seem to wear clogs--but after all, it is television. Of course I notice the clothing because I watch each episode more than once. Who does this wonderful work? How do they think it through? I think an interview would be great.
8 - barbara barnett
Thanks Louise. I've thought about doing interviews with both the costumer and the set/props people as well at some point.
It all works to build character and story.
9 - Luisa Borges
Just came back from a few more vacation days (Carnaval was here for what seemed like forever) and what a great welcome back gift to read your Jennifer Morrison interview.
You are a gifted interviewer Barbara, I´m sure you´ve heard this many times over, but it´s true. You can convey the important parts of your talks and also the personality of the person you interviewed.
Jennifer Morrison must be a delight to know and I loved her insights into the show as well as news about the Star Trek film. All the best to her.
This left me extra curious (as if I wasn´t so before) about the remaining of Season 5. Ant I´m off to watch "The softer side" from Itunes, my other welcome home gift.
Great interview, thanks Barbara!
10 - barbara barnett
You are very kind Luisa. I'm a pretty experienced interviewer (but not of actors so much), so thank you for your lovely words about the interview.
I wanted to get more into the Star Trek movie, but we ran out of time. I am intensely curious about the final third of the season! The sneak peaks for next tuesday's episode are very intriguing and are up at Spoiler TV if you dare to go there. I'm betting the'll be up on the House Official site soon enough as well.
11 - L.Lilly
Thanks, Barbara, for the lovely Jennifer Morrison interview. It makes me miss Cameron more than ever, so I hope that things are finally starting to change for her character - and Chase's.
Jennifer comes across in interview clips as having a very warm and vivacious personality. Kudos to you for capturing that on paper.
12 - Naika
Oh thank you so much for interviewing her. This was bitter sweet with all the oldies but goodies. This big change in the finale is really interesting! I hope we'll see more of JMo.
13 - Ariadne
Thank you for the interview. It was very good to get some answers about why Cameron did what she did and where she is in terms of the House-world right now. Jennifer sounds like a delightful person.
I wish she had said if Cameron was going to be back next season. But I'll be happy with what you've written. It's so rare that she gets interviewed about her character that I'm very glad to see this.
14 - sdemar
What a great way to recap an interview, Barbara. It's so much better than simply typing out the questions and answers. Thank you for that.
I liked what Jennifer had to say here:
Morrison feels that Hugh Laurie is wonderful in bringing out this side of the character. “I’m just guessing because I’m not Hugh " and I’m not playing the character " but I would guess that there’s a certain element of wanting to save others because he can’t save himself.” Sharing her own sense of House as a character, Morrison explained that perhaps House “can’t get his dreams back, but maybe he can rescue others’ dreams. And whether he admits that to himself or not, that might be a deep-rooted decision that he made for himself years ago.”
I think this is an interesting way to look his character and believe she has a valid point. And can you tell she has a lot of admiration for the big guy? I am sure working with Hugh has made several of the characters become better actors.
Sounds like lots is happening to everyone toward the end of the season. I'm excited.
15 - Arielle
Oh, she's absolutely lovely and I agree, she does understand the character of Cameron well. She seems very genuine and extended. Thank you so much for the interview.
16 - Tammy
Thanks a lot for this interview Barbara. It's lovely to finally see an interview with Jennifer that involves her role on House. Although we can only read the words, you can really grasp at how much Jennifer really appreciates this experience and the fanbase.
It's just great. I'm curious about the finale because I haven't really been interested in the whole season so far, so we'll see if the finale can change that and hopefully Cameron and Chase will be back in a more involved and much better way than they have been integrated now.
17 - Orange450
Barbara, thank you so much for this terrific interview! You do an awesome job of drawing your subjects out. Jennifer Morrison sounds like an extremely gracious individual, and I just love how insightful she is about her character! I also love seeing how beautifully her skills have developed over the past five years.
I have to admit that I didn't like Cameron at all during S1 and S2. I thought she was frequently judgemental and occasionally cruel (I hated that "I'm happy for you" scene in Honeymoon). In S3, I got the sense that the writers were trying to "grow" Cameron, but IMHO, it didn't come across well. I thought the character was written in a disjointed and inconsistent way throughout the season. In fact, I sometimes thought she manifested signs of Multiple Personality Disorder.
It wasn't until S4 that I started to really warm up to Cameron - which could be a result of the sense of humor that the character seemed to suddenly develop over the summer hiatus between S3 and S4! And I've been liking Cameron tremendously in S5 - in particular, I thought Big Baby did a wonderful job of demonstrating her growth, her objectivity and self-awareness. And Jennifer Morrison is bringing a lovely subtlety, maturity and range to her performance.
Thanks again for allowing us to be part of this! Your interviews and background essays add a tremendous dimension to enjoyment of the show :-)
18 - j.i.m.
Barbara, Thank you for such a well-crafted interview. I feel I understand Cameron and House a little better now. It is amazing how you can write up such an intricate piece so quickly. And I am sure your interview subjects appreciate your refreshing approach.
I like how the relationship between House and Cameron has developed over the 4+ years. Now, House immediately lets her in and she steps right up to him, engaging in a sweet rapport almost every time they meet. And her recently revealed (to me) subtle sense of humor has been a relief after some years of a more serious attitude. In "Ugly" she was hilarious, talking to the mirror with Chase cringing for her in the background. It rarely gets better.
19 - barbara barnett
thanks to all for your kind words about the interview!
L.Lilly--She is very warm and outgoing. She was a pleasure to interview.
Ariadne--My decision not to ask her about whether she was coming back was difficult. I really wanted the conversation to be unguarded. I felt to ask that sort of question would have in the nature of our conversation put her more on her guard. I wanted to ask the sort of questions that usually don't get addressed, if that makes any sense.
Sdemar--As Jen was saying that, I kept thinking: Yeah! That's how I perceive House as well. I think some of that comes out in the next episode, actually.
Tammy--thanks. I'm really excited about the final episodes of the season. I want them to come and don't want them to come (because then it's summer hiatus!).
Orange--Thank you so much :). there have been times that I've really disliked Cameron, but that's true of all the characters, including, dare I say, House himself! None of the characters are all good or pure evil (well of course there were Tritter and Vogler), which is great.
j.i.m.--thanks. Quick writing is owed much to digital recording devices and word processors! I recall with much dread the days of writing up an inteview with only a very breakable cassette tape and an electric typewriter. (Shudder) I try to make my interviews more one-on-one guided conversations. I try to catch that in the tone of the piece, and hopefully it works.
I loved Cameron in Ugly. Jennifer did a great job of capturing her befuddled embarrassment over her on-camera faux pas.
20 - blacktop
Thank you for this excellent interview, Barbara. It sounds as though this strong and well-crafted season will end with real emotional fireworks all around.
21 - C&T
Fantastic read, Barbara!
Super questions, you totally nailed it!
This interview is more that I dared to wish for, thanks to your fabulous writing style and Jen's insightful answers.
In contrast to absolutely relishing all facettes of Greg House, I'm not into post-S3-Cameron much really. But this interview has shown me that there are clearly delightful and insightful cast members I just haven't taken the trouble to observe so far.
One should never allow oneself to start projecting the notions for the character onto the real person...
Thank you very much for agreeing to be interviewed, Jennifer Morrison! =D
22 - Lisa
Thanks for that great interview! As a fan of JM's I feel that I haven't been getting very much of her lately. I loved the questions you asked and her answers gave me a view into Cameron's world, which doesn't get peered into half as much as I would like! I think JM and HL have a wonderful, natural chemistry onscreen and my secret wish is to have her come back into House's world permanently.
Now you got me all excited about the last five episodes!!
Bring em on!
23 - Kirpio
Oh, I am SO excited for the last 5 episodes now!!
Thanks for such a great interview barbara, like many people who have commented, I haven't always been fond of Cameron, but the way her character developed is fantastic, and I love her insights now; she definitely learned how to read people from House (telling Cuddy to invite House, playing House at his own games). It's a shame she doesn't get more screentime, although (NOT A SPOILER, SPECULATION, FEEL FREE NOT TO READ) I think the focus on 13 has to be forming an arc, which I think will be resolved in those last 5 episodes, so this could change next season.
End of speculation!
Thanks again Barbara, what a lovely person JM really is :)
24 - Luisa Borges
Barbara, your welcome and you deserve all praise. Your ability in weaving in all major points in episodes across these 4 years (nearly 5) has made reading Jennifer Morrison´s answers all the more enjoyable. That´s something else I really admire about you, how you can recall everything and piece together plot pieces that have happened over a long span of time, it makes reading your take on House all the more enjoyable and instructive.
I´ve just seen the previews and I´m very curious to watch the upcoming episode. Boy this has been a great season IMHO, so much has come forth about the characters inner issues. I´m just jumping up and down in my couch in excitement about what´s to come.
All the best to you!
25 - lyly
Hey Barbara thanks a lot for the interview... JMo appears to be such a delightfull girl... [i've to say I'm jealous of you ^^] and all the questions were very interesting.
I love the way she talks abot House/Hugh and also how she talks about Cameron... 'cause there are lots of people that doesn't understand her at all... and it's always a pleasure to see how well she understand this beautiful character.
Kisses!