‘House’ queen of awkward

(Published May 8, PDI-Entertainment)

By Oliver M. Pulumbarit

Contributor

Actress and poet Amber Tamblyn is best known for playing the lead character in the Emmy-nominated TV series “Joan of Arcadia,” which ran for two seasons. But Tamblyn, now 27, has since taken on other TV and film roles. She was briefly in “127 Hours” as a backpacker befriended by James Franco’s character and, more recently, med student Martha Masters in the medical drama “House.”

In a recent phone interview, Tamblyn revealed that her “House” portrayal was enjoyable not only because she does “awkward characters well,” but because she was able to base her role on a real person.

She related: “When ‘House’ creator David Shore and executive producer Katie Jacobs came to me with this character, I said, ‘Oh that sounds like my friend Meredith.’ Of course, the character is an exaggeration of Meredith in a lot of ways, but I always like to say it’s homage to her brilliance – and her beauty!”

Before her “Joan” years, Tamblyn was a child actress who debuted on the soap “General Hospital.” A decade and a half later, she observes that the entertainment industry has changed significantly.

“The industry is developing in a positive way, but it’s harder times than ever as far as the film market is concerned. You see a lot of fantastic actors who normally wouldn’t turn to television; it’s not desperation, it’s the quality of the work. Television has definitely escalated that quality. At the same time, television is also very scared to try anything new. The fascinating thing about ‘House’ is that it’s been able to maintain its unpredictability. It’s mildly terrifying, sort of the anarchist of episodic medical shows.”

Tamblyn found it “heartbreaking” that her previous series, “The Unusuals,” which co-starred Jeremy Renner, was cancelled after only 13 episodes. She considers guesting for several episodes on the established and long-running “House” a rare opportunity: “It was great to come into a place where everyone knew the character they were playing. They were still interested in what they were doing as actors. It’s a very exciting environment.”

As for artistic inspirations, she enumerates a few that have genuinely affected her. “I’m more influenced by comedic actresses, though I consider myself mostly a dramatic actress,” Tamblyn said. “Parker Posey – I did a film with her a couple of years ago. She’s one of the greatest movie actresses. Amy Poehler is really interesting. Diane Lane is really great.”

Tamblyn has been writing poetry since she was 11. “That’s something (‘House’ lead star) Hugh Laurie and I bonded over a lot, because he’s a musician and songwriter,” she said. “He gave me a copy of his new album and I gave him some new poems. It was a very giving and creative friendship.”

The actress-poet is thankful to her co-stars for the welcoming atmosphere. “When I left, Hugh threw me a surprise goodbye party. He invited everybody. I was really blown away!”

(“House” season 7 premieres May 16, 10 p.m., on AXN.)