House's Jennifer Morrison Makes Herself at Home in The Miracle Worker

Age: 30

Hometown: Arlington Heights, Illinois

Currently: Making her Broadway debut as Kate Keller, mother to Helen Keller (Abigail Breslin), in the Broadway revival of The Miracle Worker

Play Time: Morrison crashed her first audition at the tender age of five. “My mom told me when I was in kindergarten, I came home and said, ‘Mom, I’m an actor. Why am I not in a play?’ She was like, ‘What do you mean you’re an actor?’” At that moment, Jennifer decided she would join the second grade play, despite being two years too young. “I crashed the audition!” she laughs. “I just walked up to the teacher and said I was there to be in the play. She gave me a list of reasons why I was too young. I said, ‘I can read, I take voice lessons and I take dance lessons.’ I literally gave her no out!” The precocious Morrison nabbed a part, becoming the youngest member in the cast of The Hobbit.

Sign Me Up! The eldest of three born to two music teachers, Morrison grew up studying piano, clarinet and voice, but for her, it was all about acting. Local modeling contests helped attract a agent, and by age 10, she was booking modeling and commercial gigs for brands like J.C. Penney and Rice Krispies while auditioning for film and television. At 13, she landed her first major film role in Intersection, starring Richard Gere and Sharon Stone. “I was a kid! I didn’t have any proper training. [Director Mark Rydell] basically became my first acting teacher, and Richard and Sharon were so supportive. I was lucky to have that experience be my first.” Still, Morrison wasn’t satisfied: “I felt [during filming] I was doing whatever I could to just ‘get by.’ After that, my focus became pursuing every opportunity to learn more about acting.”

House Calls: After graduating from Loyola University Chicago’s undergrad theater program, Morrison continued her studies at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, where she worked with pros like Tina Landau, Amy Morton and Rondi Reed. By 2000, she was appearing in films such as Urban Legend: Final Cut, Grind and Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Then, in 2004, a script for a medical drama called House crossed her path. “I thought I was wrong for it,” the actress recalls. “The script was amazing, but I was supposed to be a 32-year-old doctor. I was 24. I thought, ‘Why would anyone buy me in this part?’” Her audition was a memorable mess: “It was pouring, traffic was horrible and I didn’t have an umbrella. I walked in like a drowned rat and [director/producer] Brian Singer was right there. Suddenly I’m in this room with all the producers, auditioning. I never had a chance to pull myself together!” Regardless, she got the part.

Doctor in the House: For the past six seasons, Morrison has played ambitious, empathetic Dr. Allison Cameron opposite Hugh Laurie’s cynical Dr. Gregory House on the hit medical mystery series. “I love my character,” she says. “Even though I‘ve played her for six years, I’m working with writers who are committed to her growing.” Morrison emphasizes life on the set with co-stars like Robert Sean Leonard, Omar Epps and Laurie is hard work: “It’s an intense environment in terms of the amount we shoot a day and the amount of medical information we need to know. We need to stay focused. The cast is one wonderful, dysfunctional family, but there’s no time for goofing around!”’

Broadway Mama: After a nearly 10-year hiatus, Morrison is returning to her stage roots with a Broadway debut as anguished mother Kate Keller, who cannot communicate with her blind and deaf daughter. “You dream of Broadway as a kid, but to be here? It blows my mind,” she says. Morrison, who cops to wide-eyed excitement about everything from props to costumes, is also finding her House focus useful in her demanding new role. “This is such an intricate ensemble piece. As much as it is about Annie Sullivan and Helen Keller, the family is very important. I never stop! I’m either onstage, running off to change costumes, or running back to the stage. Fortunately, [director] Kate Whoriskey helps keep us all present and focused. And, fortunately, I love it all!”