For 9 years and 9 seasons, Ted Mosby and friends kept audiences fervently waiting to see how he would reveal his love story to his children in How I Met Your Mother. The series, which also showcased a hilarious bond between a bunch of close friends, became a massive hit on television with global audiences.
One of the key reasons for the show becoming hugely popular, was the presence of Neil Patrick Harris who played the opinionated, smooth-talking womanizer Barney Stinson. Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, who created the sitcom, revealed how Harris’ improvisations for the character made simple portions of physical comedy into epic sequences.
This Celebrity’s Talent Elevated Many How I Met Your Mother Scenes From Good To Great
A father’s love story interspersed with six friends navigating life in New York, formed the basis of the hit sitcom How I Met Your Mother. The show also made actors like Josh Radnor, Jason Segel, Cobie Smulders, and Alyson Hannigan big stars to watch out for. Neil Patrick Harris, who was already a recognizable face thanks to his role as Doogie Howser, added the X-factor to the line-up with his vast talent.
The Smurfs star played the role of the brash and manipulative ladies man Barney Stinson, whose only goal is to ensure that he sleeps with as many women as possible. While the actor was expectedly brilliant in his portrayal of the character, it was his boundless creativity in improvising scenes that made creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas explore the humor in situations even more.
In an interview with Yale Times, Bays revealed how many sequences involving physical comedy were enhanced multifold while filming, thanks to the Gone Girl star’s excellent instincts for the character. He elaborated on simple examples from a couple of episodes where Harris had a field day.
With people like Neil Patrick Harris, you could write something like ‘Barney has a bad coughing fit’ in the script, and he would turn that into the biggest laugh of the episode. ‘Barney sneezes so much that he falls down’ was all we wrote in the script, and he turned it into this glorious 30 seconds of clown work that was just magnificent.
Looking back, many scenes similar in nature may have fallen flat without these improvisations that Harris incorporated into the show. This was a defining factor in lot of episodes of the series still being memorable for fans.
This Comedy Film Helped Neil Patrick Harris Bag His Marquee Sitcom Role
It is impossible to imagine anyone other than Neil Patrick Harris playing the role of the fancily-dressed womanizer Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother. While the actor looked effortless playing the character, he was not always sure about doing justice to this part.
In an interview with GQ, the Emmy-winning star recalled being unsure of auditioning for the show as he was hesitant about the qualities of the character and how it would work for him. He also revealed that the title of the series did not give him great vibes in the beginning.
And then I got an audition for this show called How I Met Your Mother, which I thought was a terrible title — And then I read the part and it was to play someone who was like rotund, cigar-smoking Jack Black.
But the talented star was told by his casting director that his hilarious turn in the comedy Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle convinced the creators that he was tailor-made for this role. Encouraged by this, Harris went in for the audition and performed a laser tag scene which ultimately became one of the most popular episodes in the show.
Determined to impress them and give it his all, the actor went all out to crash and dive onto desks to embody the elements of the scene. His efforts reaped rich dividends as he ended up not only being cast as Barney, but also had the luxury of changing a few elements of his character. The rest, as they say, is history.
All seasons of How I Met Your Mother can be streamed on Max.
