Neil Patrick Harris on dressing up as Barney again for HIMYF (2023)

[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers forhow i met your fatherSeason 2 Episode 11 "Father".]

Ver!Neil Patrick Harrisreturn ashow I Met Your MotherBarney Stinson in the mid-season finale of the Hulu series sequel.

choosing from wherehow i met your fatherleft Sofia (Hilary Duff) noSeason 2 premiere, we see her spill the beans about suspecting her new boyfriend Robert (Juan Corbett) could actually be your father (he's not); if the story is interesting enough, she doesn't have to pay for repairs to Barney's car after rear-ending it. Barney, meanwhile, is now shocked by his ankle monitor whenever he utters a troublesome word or phrase (aka a lot). And at the end, he has one piece of advice that Sophie decides to take: tracking down her father could lead to something big.

Here, Harris talks about donning a suit to play Barney one more time.

Talk about getting the call to reprise the role of Barney. Was it an immediate yes? Did you have to think about it?

Neil Patrick Harris:Pam Fryman, who was the burrow mother ofhow I Met Your Mother, directed almost all of them, is today the head and director of allhow i met your father, he texted me and said, 'any interest?' And I said potentially, but I need to know more details, obviously. So I did a Zoom call with Pam andhow i met your fathercreators Isaac [Ataker] and Elizabeth [Berger], and presented an idea of ​​how Barney could appear in a unique way and make a bit of an impact for Sophie, while also revealing a bit about his current state. I thought his conceit was smart and the times worked, so I said absolutely.

Did you want to include something when you spoke to them in this conversation?

He just didn't know them, so he didn't want to rely too heavily on old phrases and things from their vernacular. I still wanted the contemporary Barney to have some redeeming qualities and not just a burnt out guy trying to do the same thing he's done in the past over and over again, as if he's unique. That was my only request, but I think it was a request made to people who were in full agreement. It wasn't like that was his plan, and I asked him to change something. I know I still completely respect Barney and didn't want him to just be the butt of the joke.

Speaking of slogans, I think the challenge was well used.

Yes, in a smart way, which makes me happy because fans of both shows can get an extra smile, but it doesn't have to be a real jazz hand; put it in a thick finial for sure.

What was it like putting on the shoes, or rather the Barney suit again?

It was melancholy and charming. He wore nice, well-fitting suits, so on a clothing level, he was satisfied. But also, there was a lot of love and goodwill during the run ofHow I Met Your Mother,and an impressive number of the crew from that show are now crew members.how i met your father. That's why she didn't expect to arrive and see so many familiar faces. I knew I was going to see Pam Fryman and I was looking forward to it, but I had no idea that the assistant director department was the same, that the production, the design department were the same. And so having a meeting with so many people and talking to so many people made me feel a little bit of déjà vu - and that I was back where I was before. It was adorable. Everyone is still in such a good mood and such nice people.

Did you stop by the set of what is now the boys' apartment?

Strangely not. My scenes were all done, not even in that studio. We shot in a completely different location on the real street during a real storm in an area that is now being demolished and converted into sound stages. So it was cool. We were on a backlot at Radford Studios. So no, I didn't get to sit on the couch, and I'm glad because I probably would have stolen accessories and written horrible things on sticky notes on the fridge for them to read months later.

As it turned out, Barney had that experimental electroshock treatment with the ankle monitor, which is clearly not working very well. But this is a Barney who is a work in progress when it comes to not being the man he used to be, even though he is now Ellie's father. But he can get there, right?

That was the sweet spot we wanted to hit: acknowledge and accept, but not necessarily neutral, right? Because part of Barney's DNA is to be quick with a potentially unwelcome or lewd joke to what someone else is saying. That's what he's done his entire career.how I Met Your Mother. So I applaud them for finding a mechanism that it can be looked at and tried to improve upon, but still inevitably on its own basis.

Even on his last line about Venmo, he can't help but finish, even though he knows he'll be surprised.

Sure, sure. He's shocking in more ways than one, this Barney Stinson.

What do you think Barney saw in Sophie during their conversation? Obviously, they both have parenting issues, though they've dealt with it in different ways.

Barney has an undeniable point of candor for the father-daughter relationship. So hearing from a grown woman wanting the same connection I think resonated with him; although most of his advice should be ignored, he [had] a thing or two to say with some positivity and engagement about it.

Talk about working with Hilary. I know you two knew each other before filming.

We did. I think she's just amazing. She is multi-faceted, and the fact that one of these writers is a mother of three, is dedicated full time to children of different ages, and is still so positive on set and so present and so professional and productive, it was a pleasure to see. I don't know, I'm just assuming, I guess, that when you go on somebody's show, that person doesn't have to be the nicest person. They don't even have to stay there for a long time. They can appear right before you shoot. This is allowed. They could have five more shows; I don't know them, but she was there, present, kind, helpful, repeating lines with me, sharing stories. I couldn't have been made to feel more welcome, and it was rooted in a sincerity that was much appreciated.

Talk about that reunion with Pamela.

Pam is just one of the great women in my life. I have a handful: my real mother, Sheila, my agent and original manager, Booh Schut, and Pamela Fryman. She's just a remarkable, stand-up person. She was the guiding light for everyone for everyonehow I Met Your Motherrun. She is an extraordinary mother to her twin daughters. She was the officiant at my husband and at my wedding. She really is a great human. He has an amazing talent for comedy to keep the vibes authentic and charming with a crew. She is everything, so I do what she tells me whenever she asks me to. [ri]

Will we see him again this season?

No. We wanted it to be something unique. I think the fact that Sophie is able to meet people that we've seen in the past, I think in my case, literally meeting them and then making that a moment for her rather than that person becoming a participant in the story. more broadly helps to tell this story in its unique form.

Do you rule out going back in the future? Or if Pamela texts you again, would you reconsider?

She still hasn't. I don't know, I think they're just waiting to see if they get caught, so I can't say.

At this point, how do you rememberhow I Met Your Mother, especially after reprising the role of Barney inhow i met your father?

I loved the whole chapter. It was a great time to be on television. We were on a network show that passed the four-year mark and then syndication started, then all of a sudden we got some momentum and before you know it, we were in the ninth year and we were all together through relationships and deaths and births and everything. that. And so Barney remained a delusional, smartly dressed, whiskey-drinking scoundrel, told by an imperfect narrator. And so it was a really fun thing to play. Every episode was a crazy new adventure, and Barney had so many costumes and characters and everything. It was the best kind of sandbox to play in. I loved.

how i met your father, Midseason Premiere, Tuesday, May 23, Hulu