Olivia Wilde Takes Leave of Absence from 'House'

You may think this is just a cheap excuse to run another hot photo of Olivia Wilde, and I'm afraid you'd be about 65 - 70% right. It has to do with her role on House, which might be of genuine interest to you, but it can damn sure wait a second. So here's the deal: Wilde, who can be seen in TRON Legacy this December and who's adding film roles with increasing frequency these days, is committed to starring in Cowboys & Aliens opposite Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, and Sam Rockwell. Jon Favreau will begin production a little later this summer. The trouble creeps in, though, when House returns for its seventh season. “Olivia will be there at the very beginning of the season, and then she will not be there for a period of time,” executive producer Katie Jacobs tells Entertainment Weekly. "She had this opportunity and she was really excited about it,” says Jacobs. “We’re very proud of her and very happy for her.” That's a hell of a stance to take, and good for the producers of House. A lot of times, shows won't be that flexibile. But this is a far different scenario than when Pierce Brosnan was going to play 007 after NBC canceled Remington Steele, then brought the show back and held him contractually bound to give up the longest-running movie franchise in the world. Wilde is not the star attraction on House and there are plenty of other supporting characters who could fill the void. Of course, it doesn't hurt that Thirteen - Wilde's House character - announced her own leave of absence as part of the show this past week. “The two things — the dates that she was going to be away and the story line [we wanted to tell] — worked out,” Jacobs admits. “When the story unfolds, it will [all make] sense.”

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[Chloe bags for lady]

Wilde is not the star attraction on House and there are plenty of other supporting characters who could fill the void.