Neil Patrick Harris Breaks Down His Most Iconic Characters | GQ
Neil Patrick Harris breaks down a few of his most iconic characters, including 'Harold & Kumar,' 'Doogie Howser, M.D.,' 'How I Met Your Mother,' 'Hedwig and the Angry Inch,' 'Starship Troopers,' 'Gone Girl' and 'Uncoupled.'
Season one of Uncoupled is now streaming on Netflix.
00:00 Intro
00:13 Harold & Kumar
03:57 Doogie Howser, M.D.
07:35 How I Met Your Mother
12:06 Hedwig and the Angry Inch
14:18 Starship Troopers
17:08 Gone Girl
20:08 Uncoupled
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Nice try swarley
😆
😂😂
Ain’t no way 😂😂😂😂
LMAO
😂😂
Barney Stinson is simply one of the best characters in Television History.
Exactly, he is Legen .... wait for it
dary
Yeah fck ted mosby 😠
True story
for real. himym would‘ve been nothing without him
I wish he had talked about the basketball hoop scene in HIMYM. One of my favorite, and one of the most heartbreaking scenes in the entire show, in my opinion. "If you were going to be some lame suburban dad, why couldn't you have been that for me?"
Tf
"No Ted, a kid needs a hoop."
that scene got me i cried so much
@@smartyhardy8924 this scene!!! TEAAAERS 💔💔
Jesus loves y’all! God bless y’all! “Jesus is the way, and the truth, and the life.” John 14:6.’”””
Barney Stinson is eternal man. No character will ever come close to it.
well stifler is the OG although neil changed what the name barney is
@@itsutoriku lmao u kinda right but barney is a lilttle older and got more style. Stiffler is the frat version of barney, but maybe when stiff master got a little bit older, he would be just like Barney.
Would you say he's legendary?
Can't believe they didn't cover Dr Horrible or Count Olaf. Those are iconic roles!
IKR
i literally clicked on this for count olaf WTF
Nah, those are Jim Cary’s. As good as Neil was in the series, he could never fill those shoes.
Dr.Horrible was a passion project of Joss Whedon. So, I think he wanted to distance himself a little. Also, there is only so long you get to discuss your career here lol
i was just abt to comment this lmao
Barney is hands down one of the top 3 funniest characters in TV history.
Facts!!
Love science too!
That character would never survive in todays PC climate
Exactly, it is like the age of comedy is behind us.
Honest as well, he ended up being a single middle age dad because he found the most important person in the world to love...his daughter.
One of the best things about HIMYM was the evolution of Barney Stinson as a character. I don't think we'll ever see another sitcom that has a character like Barney, he's just too well written and acted
I loved Barney and Robin’s chemistry so much. Neil did a tremendous job portraying Barney. I still think he’s one of the best tv characters ever, especially in comedies
It's interesting that while his filmography isn't the deepest, he's had such a profound impact in the few roles that he has done. His talent and charisma are just undeniable. Also, honorable mention to Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog, wish it had been included here!
underrated
I was really hoping it would be on the list, it’s honestly my favorite of his roles, hugely underrated in a ton of ways
That what I was gonna say!
well said
Yessss
And Robin & Barney’s growth were a HUGE part of why the ending failed. They gave us their original planned finale versus the organic story’s ending.
I didn't mind it. HIMYM always kept it real. Whether it has Lily run away, or Marshall's dad dying, or Ted getting left at the altar, or Robin and Barney getting divorced. These are all very real situations we find ourselves in at a moment's notice, and they are heart-wrenching. Each is abrupt and painful in their own way. As for Ted getting with Robin at the end, this makes sense too. Very few viewers asked themselves, "Why is Ted telling his kids this story in the first place?" The fact that the story spent SO much time on Robin and so little time on the mother suddenly made sense; he wanted to see if his kids were okay with him getting together with Robin again. When an ending answers questions one didn't even think to ask, that's something truly special.
@@JM-us3fr Nah, they spent a season & a half getting us into Barney & Robin just to break it off in the final episode. And their reason for breakup would also apply to her and Ted. They did exactly like Game of Thrones by trying to force the original vision ending onto the organic stories. It failed.
@@shannond7437 Well first of all, shipping wars are not real life. Second, it made complete sense with both Barney and Robin’s characters that they couldn’t stay together. Of course every marriage feels hopeful at the wedding, but happily-ever-afters only exist in fairy tales. Game of Thrones failed because the directors were god-awful writers, and even worse when compared to George RR Martin. The ending of HIMYM felt complete; like the story was always about…real life, with real friends and real relationships, and especially real hardships.
Nobody likes when a show ends and nowadays, if it doesn't stick to a typical trope, people don't like it. I love shows that don't stick to those typical tropes.
Ending was amazing. It was full circle and made sense, and in my humble opinion, if you don't like the ending, you're not a real fan of HIMYM. 🤭🤭sorry not sorry
Michael Scott, Barney Stinson, and Phil Dunphy - Top 3 funniest characters on TV in my opinion. Oh, and imagine them hanging out together.
I’m so glad you put Phil Dunphy on there. He’s just so hilarious!
Excatly!!!! You literally listed 3 of my favourite characters too!!!! Its crazy, It made my day😀, Phil Dunphy is so underrated..
Yeah these three are my favourite characters as well!!!
Bro. Charlie Harper
@@MrBatoloko haha not even close to comparison for me personally but not everyone has the same opinions 😀 Charlie Harper is a great character tho.
His role in gone girl was incredible. That throat scene has stuck with me. Fincher is amazing
I would’ve loved to hear about him doing A Series of Unfortunate Events.
I came into the comments to say the exact same thing! Such a great role for him
Sameee
Same!
Same!
this comment immediately made me sad because I certainly would have hoped to hear about it
HE WORKED SO HARD TO GET BARNEY W ROBIN. i cannot believe the writers did him so dirty in the end. i like to pretend the finale doesn’t exist😌
Whether you like it or not, it's realistic. It happens a lot in real life.
@@brent3522 realistic ≠ better
@@gangmakerzaken that's why I said "whether you like or not". Was that not clear? Lol
@@brent3522 Ah sorry bro i misinterpreted it as you defending the ending, apologies 🙏
I genuinely can't remember what the ending was
How i met your mother has got to be my favorite show of all time. It almost gives you a look on how the real world works and there will never be another character like Barney. Cheers Patrick.
NPH has ONE HUNDRED AND FOURTEEN credits as an actor on IMDB. HIMYM and Dougie Houser count as 1 each. That’s crazy he works more than you realize.
It’s amazing that the Harold and Kumar character role got him the HIMYM job. Amazing.
Barney Stinson was basically the PG-13 version of the Harold and Kumar parody of himself so it makes perfect sense 😂
And that the two main actors on Harold and Kumar actually ended up on HIMYM
@@emilydebridge7145 oh wow i just realized 😂
@@emilydebridge7145 yeah just saw that HIMYM's Kevin is also in that movie
NPH doesn't seem to have done that much in his career but he is so charismatic and memorable in his roles that he has stayed in our minds and was never forgotten.
He’s done a lot of theatre stuff too
Well for a tv actor is pretty succesful, most tv actors just get one great roles, look at FRIENDS cast; jennifer aniston is probably the only one with a nice career post FRIENDS NPH made doogie howser, Himym, a series of unfortunate events, all of them awesome, now he has another leading role in uncoupled
@@mayortomken Don't forget he won an Emmy Award for his guest appearance on Glee.
@@Lupin788 right?, he also has a tony award He has so much range, very talented guy
I was also surprised no mention of him as the villain in the new Matrix movie, I wonder why that is?
Neil Patric Harris is the best caracter Barney Stinson has ever portrayed. Thank you. Thank you Barney
I love what you did there
I can't think of a character more synonymous with my childhood than Barney. He was and still is the coolest & funniest guy ever to me. Thank you so much for bringing this character to life Neil. Forever grateful for you x
I really hope you didn't treat early Barney as a role woman otherwise I feel bad for every woman you've interacted with
@@lynx4082 shut up
@@lynx4082 what
I would love to share a drink with this guy and just chat. He seems like one of the most authentic, genuinely funny people in the acting business.
I don't think he is gonna have a drink with a nobody sir
@@suryavegeta12 Everybody starts as a "nobody" just look at how fast Jonah Hill grew! And you don´t know ho hides behind the YT comments so be nice
I think he’d be really fun to have at a party or something. He’d be the nice guy who goes up to talk to the quiet one at the party or something like that.
@@suryavegeta12 if, in your little mind, the only way to be somebody is to be famous, guess you're a nobody too then.
@@suryavegeta12 i think he would
NPH was introduced to me as Barney in How I Met Your Mother. By far the most dynamic character on the show and one of the best actors I've ever seen. It's nice to hear him talk so fondly on some of his previous roles, especially Barney
I have nothing but respect for Neil. Being a child star and coming up through adulthood with his roles. Also, the AIM part gets me laughing because I remember that era so much. I wish him nothing but happiness and some normalcy in life.
i might've set the world record on rewatching HIMYM for the past 12 years, almost 15x a year at least rewatching everything.. (practically all i watch before going to bed) NPH's role as Barney actually makes me enjoy the series so much more.. absolute impact as an actor on everything he plays.
I want an one-hour interview where he just talks about himym. Barney was such an iconic character!
I think his iconic character is the Patrick from The Smurfs
90.9% of the comments here be like: he never fails to make me laugh, his content never disappoint us
Real
And you’re a horrendous channel. So who is the real loser here? The answer is you!
I finished HIMYM for the third time yesterday, i'm proud (except for the ending episodes lol) of Barney's character development. The Robin must be one of the most romantic engagement proposals ever haha :)
I would have liked to hear about Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. Underrated movie
Omg yeah!!! Thanks for reminding me of that. Totally slipped my mind.
Dude I was about to say where is Dr. Horrible! Haha
They probably want to avoid bringing up Joss Whedon.
Came here to say this. *sigh*
😍 _YES!!!_ 💯
No "A Series of Unfortunate Events" is really sad. I didn''t think anybody could do a better job than Jim as Count Olaf, but I was wrong Neil nailed it.
I've watched How I met your mother like 20 times and I can almost quote every Barney Stinson line I love NPH so much
"you dumped a PORNSTAR??" Friendship......
@@raoulhery FRIENDSHIP OVER FRIENDSHIP OVER lol
Love how straight-forward he is. Seems like a really nice dude.
I love that he isn't particularly reverent about his projects folks love. He's very matter of fact about the business of show.
He seems like a genuinely lovely person, and Uncoupled is SO good. A classy show. Looking forward to seeing him in Dr Who!!
he's gonna be in doctor who???? you're kidding!!
@@susannahh2573 Nope!! He is playing an evil toy maker lol!
I love the show. Very exciting for Season 2. Brooks Ahsmanskas ♥️ is my favorite character. Love him. Is the Real MVP of the show.
Who doesn't love this guy? seriously? I mean, coming out was a bit of a shock for those of us who grew up with him, but he's always been good in everything I've ever seen him in. Though I haven't seen his last show, I guess.....not exactly my type of show. But almost kind of sad that I haven't seen it because I'm sure he's excellent in that too.
Why not watch one episode before you make your mind up that it isn’t your type of show ?
No actor would have played Barney Stinson as good as Neil Patrick Harris did.
It’s crazy how good How I met Your mother was. And he just kept getting better with each job after that 💜
How are you always top comment !
how you gettin always so many likes for the most basic comments? oh , and why are you everywhere?🤣
NPH is one of the best talents in the industry, hope we see more of him in good projects.
Absolutely love Uncoupled. It is almost exactly what happened to me at age 46 after 12 year relationship and it is real and funny and perfect! Neil is a wonderful actor and his genuine nature always come through.
too bad TV will never see another Barney Stinson. One of the greatest TV characters of all time.
Man, I just love this dude. Such a humble and inspiring human being. Dr Horrible’s ending broke my heart, they should’ve mentioned this project for sure.
This isn’t fair Barney had a whole playbook of iconic characters…
I have watched so many of these types of videos and I almost didn't click this one because I thought itd be terrible. And now I know it was gold. He is a great story teller. I didn't even know any of the movies other than Harold and kumar but I did know he was famous. Great vid. Didn't realize how interesting this dude was. Cheers to his future painting
He made how I met your mother succeed, he has the best character development. It did not end the way I want it, but is is one of my fav comedy show forever. 😊
I'm very sad he chose not to have them include 'Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog', as for the online community, it really was a part of his comeback into solid fame. And for it being a 'silly' online series, it really was amazing. And to anyone who has never seen it, you should definitely do so... NPH as a comic-book villain...with an online blog... Brilliant.
I'm pretty sure it's GQ who picks what they talk about, but also NPH could've spoken about it and GQ decided to cut down a lot.
@@dravenleepalmer They're not going to not film what he wants to talk about, nor just randomly cut out entire segments that he wants in. This was likely NPH's decision not to bring it up if GQ didn't ask about it.
plus there is the "joss whedon" of it all, great show, terrible creator
@@scottobeach amazing creator terrible human you mean, that man made Buffy and angel FFS but ye terrible human
Nah. It was all Harold & Kumar and then getting HIMYM
I find the lack of "Dr. Horrible's sing-along blog" quite disappointing!! That was fantastic and he was amazing in it!
I was going to say the same thing. Dr. Horrible probably helped him get the Tony Awards gig.
I recently saw this AND man it was great but heartbreaking lol
I agree it was one of my favorite N.P.H. roles.
Ma I kept waiting for him to talk about that!!! Disappointed 😞
I love his honesty in this interview!
NPH, you’ve made such an impact on stage and off. I love how you always throw in some magic too. You’re such a great actor and can’t wait to see what you’ll do after Uncoupled, cause it’s a great show seeing you in diff type role.
I wished we could've seen a section on Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. NPH and Nathan Fillion were both fantastic and Felicia Day did a good job supporting them.
It bums me out that he didn't discuss count Olaf. Would have loved to hear his take on the show and everything that came with it.
That Tony Awards opening number at Radio City Music Hall was one of the if not the, greatest live theatre musical numbers I've ever witnessed in 50 years. I don't know if anyone will ever top it, kudos to NPH.
I feel like his role as Barney Stinson is the embodiment of who he is. Am unable to think of his as anyone else. Periodt.
Back in 1997, I saw NPH as Mark in the La Jolla PlayHouse production of "Rent." He absolutely crushed the role. Funny, that upon subsequent viewings of Rent, I realized it's an ensemble production, and that Mark is not the main protagonist. NPH was that good in the role- he stole the whole show.
👆
NPH is always a delight to watch. How I Met Your Mother. Doogie Hauser M.D. Starship Troopers. Even Uncoupled was fun to watch. I still can’t wait to see him on Doctor Who for the 60th Anniversary special.
This is amazing, I only recently ACTUALLY met Neil because of barney stintson but I watched Gone Girl when it was released a looong time ago but I don't actually remembered the movie except for this EXACT scene that you showed here with Neil wich does say a lot about his acting it's just such an intense acting
Love how he spoke about his relationship working with Cobie Smulders!
As a child, Doogie Howser, M.D. was my first favorite evening tv show because I just thought he was so cute and I had a huge crush on him at that time, even though I was only between 4 and 8 years old when the show had aired. I'd love to go back and watch the show again!
I was 7 when it aired. I still love that show!!
It's on Hulu
@@emilyoryall406 Unfortunately, my family does not pay for any entertainment subscriptions beyond regular cable (Dish Network). I also don't really watch much tv, which is why a subscription service would be a waste of money for my family. Occasionally I'll see previews for something that's only available through a subscription service that I'd really like to watch, but again, it would be a waste of money for me to purchase a subscription just to watch one documentary or whatever.
I am mad they didn't start there. That was his big start.
Love this guy. He's been around for ever. Great to hear him talk about his career.
Loved Uncoupled. He is, in all fairness, a very talented guy whoncan turn his hand to anything. And now he's going to be in the 60th anniversary special of Doctor Who! Who knew 😄
This was one of the best interviews. NPH is so smart, so intelligent, so bright, and so well-spoken. “Stalkery “, what a great word. And he can sing and dance too. Remarkable.
When he said the frat guys don't follow through enough I had a really good laugh. NPH is a legend
I absolutely loved him in Touched By An Angel.
"I kept trying to be in movies but I was just a TV person." - Neil Patrick Harris Times may have changed a bit but this is still true for me. Kudos to NPH for his film acting credits and for helping to create iconic characters on the... small screen.
“Barney” stole the show of HIMYM. I don’t think they intended on him being so much of the focus. I HATED how they ended the show.
NPH is one of those rare talents that actually has a shot at an EGOT.
He's in a rather special class, having won an Emmy for hosting the Tonys.
Not sure if it's the theater training, but the way he measures and annunciates every syllable of every word to great effect is mesmerizing. I was only going to watch for the Doogie part but stayed for the whole video.
Awh I really wanted to hear him talk about stark raving mad. Such an underrated show.
Just finished Uncoupled, loved it! Really hope it gets a second season.
Same👏. Brooks Ahsmanskas ♥️ is my favorite character, love him so much. Is so talended.
11:56 "That doesn't happen nearly enough...the follow-through" *wink* The moment I simultaneously snorted my drink and slammed the like button. Hilarious.
Wish he would talk about his amazing award hosting gigs. He is the best at that!
This was a really great interview
This man's charisma is unmatched
i've been watching a series of unfortunate events and i just love him in it. so grandiose and over the top. love it.
What makes NPH a gem is that like he said in the 90s its either tv or film. Dude did both..LEGEND
"and SUIT UP" is one of the most iconic TV lines ever!
He is such a wonderful actor!
NPH played it so well in Harold and Kumar. ...and Starship Troopers 👌🏻
The first time I saw him was in the show "lemony Snicket series of unfortunate events" and I loved him so much!
I love that he gave credit to Thippet. ILM did an amazing job with Starship, and like he says I think it still holds up amazingly well.
I think that How I Met Your Mother is a great title. It has INTRIGUE. You read that title and immediately you're like "Oooh, I wonder how he's gonna meet the mother.". There's a hook right in the title. Not many titles really have that.
I felt every sec of uncoupled 🥺❤️ Cant wait to see it forward
How I Met Your Mother has the most realistic series arc of all time for a sitcom. People grow up, they move away for jobs, they get divorced, they get sick and die, etc…. It would’ve been very easy for the show runners to write an ending in which everyone is happy, and have happy marriages, and happy kids, and happy lives, and live happily ever after, but it’s that’s not real life. It’s my favorite sitcom ending of all time. I know everyone disagrees, and wants that fake happy ending nonsense that every other sitcom has, but we’ll just agree to disagree. 😉😭 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦
Same. It is the same reason I like the ending of LA LA Land, life isn't always happy or constant. Like Ted, I wish we could have had more time with the mother, but I adore all the moments we had with her!
Totally agree with you on that part, life is all and nothing at the same time and it's great they showed both sides
Wow. That’s actually really well said. The finale of HIMYM may not be loved, but it is realistic.
I think what most people have a problem with is that Ted got his happy ending with Robin and that just felt so wrong
THANK you. It's actually genius
NPH seems like such a genuinely good guy and down to earth. Like a celebrity you could sit next to in a bar and talk to like anyone else and he'd be happy to have the conversation with someone new. He doesn't seem to think of himself as a celebrity first or let the fame get to his ego.
Oh man! I wanted to hear NPH talk about, "A series of unfortunate events". I loved him in the Netflix series. But what I found weird is that they made it over into a movie with Jim Carrie. I love Jim but I absolutely loved NPH as Olaf
I think you need to look up the release dates of both adaptations.
Gotta to mention that my family adopted a new holiday movie to our traditional lineup, 8-Bit. It was so hilarious for my wife and I when our kids were so confused about the things going on during our childhoods. Brought back that nostalgic feeling for us when we saw NPH in a pre-2000s themed movie.
loved te rewiev over a lot of chars he played. But uncoupled is, for me, the show! looking forward for S02!
Might not be on everyone’s list, but I just loved his character on American Horror Story! Such dichotomy to that character.
Barney !!! Loved him in my favorite show How I Met Your Mother!! He also killed the Harold and Kumar role. Great actor
I've seen a lot of NPH's movies and shows, and Dr Horrible is my favorite part of his. The songs slap in that! Really bummed they didn't include that role.
Dude Starship Troopers is one of my favourite films and HIMYM is one of my favourite TV shows. You killed it in both. You're a grade A legend.
I have grown up watching Neil in everything he does, I am such a huge fan of his. He's Amazing, extremely talented and Brilliant, Uncoupled, the most recent thing he's done is Fabulous, Fantastic, and Brilliant! I hope there's a lot more seasons of this show. I am just in awwww of Neil and what he has done. I can't wait to see what he does next!( Even though I would love to see more seasons of Uncoupled
Geez. Love what he does with every role. And bares his uncertainty and insecurity about working in a crazy industry like a trooper. 😉
He tells his stories like John Mulaney and I love it
What a great actor! will start Uncoupled tonight😅
“The Game” is probably my favorite movie I cannot get tired of it.
I loved him in a series of unfortunate events - just brilliant
What a humble legend! I’ll never forget him in starship troopers and how I met your mother.
I love that he mentioned the small town of Albuquerque New Mexico because my dad was in theater class with him 😂
It"s weird not seeing him in a suit ngl 🤣🤣🤣
As a straight guy in a long term monogamous relationship, his pitch of uncoupled really piked my interest, I'd be equally clueless on the modern dating scene if my wife left me for whatever reason.
You should absolutely watch it if you haven't yet. It's fantastic.
Recently divorced after 20 years. Dating life is weird. Mix of absolute frustration and exhilaration.
@@ThatBlackGirlMagicThanks for the recommendation!
@@JoshuaTootell Good luck, man!