Neil Patrick Harris has explained why his iconic character Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother was so toxic. In a recent interview, the 53-year-old actor, singer, producer, and magician addressed Barney's womanizing behavior, which included a seduction playbook, the Bro Code, and a quest to sleep with as many women as possible.
Unreliable narrator
Harris explained that the show was framed by narrator Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) recounting his 20s and 30s to his children. Since Ted was telling past events, his recollections were unreliable, and he would alter details or misremember events. For instance, Ted would say he and his friends were "eating sandwiches" instead of smoking marijuana, and another episode showed the same events from completely different perspectives.
Harris told The Times: "None of the behaviours are, you know, certified, or even true," referring to some of Barney's more outlandish and promiscuous acts. He added: "So I had the freedom to be much more lascivious, much more ridiculous and overt than I imagine Barney probably actually was."
Barney's role
The It's A Sin actor commented that Barney was "always the devil on Ted's shoulder." How I Met Your Mother originally ran from 2005 to 2014 and was told through architect Ted's rose-tinted glasses, following his wife's death. The show also charted Ted's on/off romance with Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders), culminating in the divisive series finale.
How I Met Your Mother also starred Jason Segel and Alyson Hannigan. The show won multiple Emmys during its run and was recently revived by Hulu with a sequel, How I Met Your Father, which was cancelled after two seasons. Harris even reprised his role as Barney for the new series, after previously claiming he wouldn't appear.
How I Met Your Mother is streaming on Disney+ now.
