The role of Marshall Eriksen in the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother made actor Jason Segel a household name around the world, however, the actor once revealed that he was not happy with the fame he got from the iconic show. The actor wanted to explore different things but the show restricted him from doing so.
The actor has also starred in various comedy films such as Knocked Up (2007), Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008), I Love You, Man (2009), Bad Teacher (2011), The Five-Year Engagement (2012), This Is 40 (2012), and Sex Tape (2014). After How I Met Your Mother, the actor was able to explore different genres.
Jason Segel was unhappy with How I Met Your Mother fame
Earlier this year, actor Jason Segel appeared on The Hollywood Reporter’s Comedy Actor Roundtable and shared that he didn’t feel sufficient despite gaining so much popularity from his work as Marshall Eriksen in the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother,
“There was a period in my life and career around the last couple of years of How I Met Your Mother where things were firing in both movies and TV, and everyone was telling me how well it was going and I was really unhappy. I then had to grapple with why? What’s off about this equation?” adding, “I think the thing that I was confronted with is that it’s really great to decide of ‘f**k it, I do what I want,’ but unfortunately there’s a system of permission in place where people will go, ‘We don’t give a s**t [what you want to do].’ Like, ‘Good for you, man.'”
The show became quite popular and Segel became a prominent and fan-favorite figure on the show, however, the actor felt like he wasn’t doing what he wanted.
Jason Segel explored different genres after How I Met Your Mother
Segel further explained that he tried to explore different genres after How I Met Your Mother, but he had a time preparing for the roles because he wasn’t used to it,
“After How I Met Your Mother ended, I didn’t know what I wanted to do next. I really wondered if I was actually good enough to do drama. I took a movie called The End of the Tour to play David Foster Wallace,” adding, “I also had no system of prep because you prep differently for comedy. There was a lot of improv in how we came up, and these were big chunks of dialogue. I literally just played in my head, ‘What would Edward Norton do?’ I got a dialect coach and I did all these things that I heard you do if you’re a real actor. But man, I was scared.”
The comedy star has also showcased his talent in various dramas like Jeff, Who Lives at Home (2011), The Discovery (2017), Our Friend (2019), and Windfall (2022). Although Segel says he was unhappy with How I Met Your Mother fame, he was ready to reprise his role in the show’s spinoff How I Met Your Father, but unfortunately, the show has now been canceled.
