The next episode of House has two familiar names taking on unfamiliar assignments.
"Half-Wit," airing Tuesday, March 6 on FOX, features musician Dave Matthews acting in his first major television role, as a man who suffered severe brain damage as a child that rewired his brain to make him a musical savant.
House executive producer Katie Jacobs, who oversees casting as well as music, editing, production, post-production, and collaborating on scripts, had seen a sample from the movie Because of Winn-Dixie in a previous season, when she was casting for the role of a little girl. She was amazed to realize that one of the actors in that sample scene was the singer.
When it came time to cast "Half-Wit," she remembered Matthews, who also contributed the song "Some Devil" to an episode in House's first season.
Despite the fact that Matthews is a guitarist and singer rather than a pianist like the character, "I felt like somehow having a musician in the role would serve me well," said Jacobs in a recent interview. "He was my very first choice after seeing him in Winn-Dixie."
Another of Jacobs' duties is to choose the directors for each episode's eight-day shoot. For "Half-Wit," she gave the opportunity to a directing newcomer: Katie Jacobs.
"It was excellent to be right in there with them fighting for it to be the best it can be."
Though it's her first professional directing credit, it turns out the NYU grad went to film school and signed to the powerful ICM agency as a director. She then became "horribly afraid" and decided to work with writers to develop ideas instead.
"It's not like it's been burning inside of me for years. I've enjoyed what I've been doing," Jacobs said before explaining why she chose to finally direct an episode on House. "I was really strongly encouraged by the actors in particular, because I've been with them since the beginning, I'm so close with them, I adore them. I always want to see them do their best work. So I finally said, okay, I'll give this a try."
Article comments
1 - amysusanne
congrats on the great interview. excellent news in the casting of jane adams. that's awesome. i miss seeing her on my television.
2 - Grace
I hope when they are busy developing a new show for FOX, that HOUSE won't suffer because of it.
3 - Methuselah
Once in a while TV produces a good adult program, and that's what "House" has been for me since I first encountered it during the first season. Reminds me a bit of the old 50s series "Ben Casey" about another megalomaniac doctor focused on solving problems.
But the ongoing success of an episodic TV dramatic series depends more on the quality of the guest characters and their situations than on the core characters and their relationships. Thus the great success of series like "The Fugitive", "Route 66", "Dragnet", etc., where the guest bit actors were always vastly better than the hacks in the principle roles and their stories much more interesting.
Unfortunately, modern junk TV like CSI and the offshoots of L&O soon become obsessed with the private lives of the principles and quickly exhaust those possibilities and degenerate into repetition.
4 - Lisa McKay
Congratulations! This article has been selected for syndication to Advance.net, which is affiliated with newspapers around the United States.
5 - Methuselah
I watched "Half-wit" with great hope, but sadly concluded that "House" is getting too self-involved to be sustaining. Using Dave Mathews added nothing.
I fear that this will be the last season for this program.
6 - Diane Kristine
It might be the last season you'll be watching, but it's far from the last season for the show. It's been getting series high ratings and it's already been announced that it's renewed for a fourth season.
7 - Mahwash
Any latest updates on the writer's strike or on how the plot will develop further? The interview here was great, btw.