Olivia Wilde Says She Received Death Threats from "House" Fans When Her Character Began Dating Omar Epps' Dr. Foreman

12/11/2024 05:27 PM

Speaking at a film festival in Saudi Arabia, Wilde said the storyline involving her character's relationship with Dr. Eric Foreman led to the death threats

While Olivia Wilde's character Remy "Thirteen" Hadley on the Fox medical drama House was seen as somewhat of a barrier-breaker, the actress says the role also lead to "insane death threats" — due to Remy's biracial relationship.

Speaking to Varietyat the Red Sea International Film Festival in Saudi Arabia, 40-year-old Wilde said the storyline involving her character's relationship with Dr. Eric Foreman (played by Omar Epps) led to the death threats and even required that extra security be hired to ensure the actors' safety.

Wilde spent five years as part of the cast of the medical procedural drama, which aired for eight seasons from 2004 to 2012. The show followed titular Dr. Gregory House, M.D. (played by Hugh Laurie) as he took on medical diagnostic mysteries alongside his team, who navigated professional and personal trials and tribulations together.

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Related: How Does House End? Revisiting the Show's Shocking Finale, 20 Years After It First Premiered

Wilde's character was, at the time, also one of the few bisexual characters on primetime. Reflecting on the role while at the film festival, Wilde said: "Seeing what's on television now, if you watch Euphoria, the fact that that my character was shocking and groundbreaking then, it's like, no, it's nothing."

Wilde has shared bits and pieces of the threats she and Epps received while on House in the past. Per theNew Zealand Herald, the 2009 episode in which her character Thirteen and Epps' character Eric shared their first kiss led to angry viewer feedback.

"We got a lot of hate mail for that," she later said in a 2011 interview. "There are racist people out there. We got hate mail that said that someone wanted to cut off my lips and kill me. We had extra security on set for a while."

Wiles will soon start work on another project, the film I Want Your Sex, alongside Charli xcx.

At a Tribeca Chanel Women's Filmmaker Luncheon in New York City in September, Wilde praised the singer, 32, while speaking with Variety about the pair's upcoming movie, 

"We've texted and I love her," Wilde said. "She's so inspiring. I am all for this explosion of female power in music. It is just such a thrill to be an audience member and I can't wait to go see her show."