Neil Patrick Harris has been confirmed to reprise his beloved role as Barney Stinson in upcoming episodes of Hulu’s How I Met Your Father, it reported. Deadline.
The 49-year-old actor, who originally played the ‘serial womanizer’ character for a total of nine seasons on How I Met Your Mother, made a surprise cameo appearance in the second-season premiere of the spin-off which aired on Tuesday.
The exciting news of the star’s retaliation comes on the heels of reports that his Netflix series Uncoupled would not be renewed after the first season dropped in July of last year.
Great comeback! Neil Patrick Harris, 49, has been confirmed to reprise his role as Barney Stinson in the spin-off How I Met Your Father after making a surprising cameo in the season two premiere; seen in April 2022 in New York
To the delight of fans, Neil made a surprise appearance towards the end of the first episode of the second season of How I Met Your Father.
After a year skip, young Sophie, played by Hilary Duff, could be seen leaving a panicked message for her mother, Lori, saying, “I think I’m dating my dad!”
Distracted, Duff ends up crashing into the rear of the car. She jumps as the other driver slowly gets out, the suspense building as the camera slowly pans up from her feet to suddenly reveal Neil casually adjusting her suit.
After a brief moment of looking at his car, he yells ‘Dude!’ just as the rear bumper of his expensive Audi falls onto the street.
Although his cameo was brief, tv line reported that the Emmy Award winner will make more appearances over the course of the 20-episode second season.
Surprise! Neil’s character is introduced when Sophie, played by Hilary Duff, rear-ends her car on the side of a residential street.
Original role: The talented actor had played the ‘serial womanizer’ on How I Met Your Mother for a total of nine seasons.
During a recent interview with the publication, series creators Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger discussed Neil’s role in the spinoff.
“We did a Creative Zoom with him to talk about what we were thinking, and that was it. It was a game, which was so amazing to us. It was the best way we could imagine coming back,” Elizabeth explained of pitching the idea to Harris, adding that the actor also has “a pre-existing relationship with Hilary Duff.”
On the subject of whether Neil’s character Barney could be Sophie’s father, Isaac confirmed that he wasn’t.
The show’s creators didn’t offer too many details about his role in the spinoff series, but did reveal, “…we’ll learn a bit more about where Barney is, but it’s also going to have a big impact on the trajectory and main narrative of our season.
‘Kind!’ After the crash, the suspense builds as the camera slowly pans up from the feet up to suddenly reveal Neil adjusting his suit, and after a brief pause, he calls out, “Dude!”
Other cameos: In the first season of the Hulu spin-off, Robin, played by Cobie Smulders, made an appearance on the series.
Barney Stinson, however, was not the first original How I Met Your Mother character to star in the spinoff.
In the first season of the Hulu show, Cobie Smulders was once again seen on screen as she stepped back into the shoes of her role as Robin Scherbatsky.
On the CBS series, which ran from 2005 until its finale in 2014, Neil and Cobie’s characters were married but later divorced. For his role on the show, Harris was nominated for a total of four Emmy Awards and his character has become a fan favorite.
During an interview with G.Q. Early last year, the Series Of Unfortunate Events actor spoke about taking on the role of Barney.
Neil, who is currently married to David Burtka, admitted to the publication that when he auditioned, he ‘didn’t think’ he was going to be offered the role.
Beloved: For his role on the show, Harris was nominated for a total of four Emmy Awards, and his character became a beloved and staple name among fans; seen in July 2022 in New York
Audition process: He admitted to the publication that when he auditioned he ‘didn’t think’ he was going to be offered the role
However, after acting out a “laser tag scene” and humorously recalling that he “did a diving part and, like, hit his desk,” he was offered the role of Barney Stinson.
“I thought it would just be the driver and I would never go for the title. Who names a show, ‘How I Met Your Mother?’ She doesn’t even have rhymes,” she joked. ‘And then she went on trucks.’
Placing more emphasis on his character, Neil stated that “Barney was a crazy, delusional monkey head”, later adding that it was a “great gig”. I did it for nine years, I loved it.
Details of which episodes Harris will appear in during the Hulu spin-off have not been revealed, but the creators hinted that Barney Stinson will play a pivotal role in the development of the season.
“That car accident becomes a major turning point in Sophie’s life and her season-long arc,” Isaac quipped to TV Line. “Once we catch up with that, I think people will be pleasantly surprised how her story spins through Barney.”
‘Loved it’: Placing more emphasis on his character, Neil said that ‘Barney was a crazy, delusional monkey head’, later adding that it was a ‘great gig’. I did it for nine years, I loved it’; seen with her husband, David Burtka, in October 2022 in New York