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Womanizer, blunt, and inappropriate – these are the few words many have used to describe the legen-wait-for-it…daryHow I Met Your Mothercharacter Barney Stinson. But taking a stroll down memory lane, Neil Patrick Harris, the actor behind the role, openly defended his character’s memorable catchphrases, love for well-tailored suits and magnetic, yet sometimes unbefitting charm.
Focusing on Barney Stinson’s outrageous antics that often spark debate, Neil Patrick Harris decided it was time to address the elephant in the room. Far from apologizing for the character’s boundary-pushing behavior, Harris framed Barney as an “anti-superhero” of sorts.
Neil Patrick Harris Defended Barney Stinson as a Bro
Barney Stinson happens to have been much more than Ted Mosby’s s*x-crazed best friend inHow I Met Your Mother. In fact, for some viewers, Barney was the star of the show, who offered sweet relief from Lily andMarshall’s melodramatic issuesand Ted’s relatable life-problems. Moreover, through 9 seasons, Barney proved his unfaltering loyalty to his friends and even developed meaningful relationships with people he loved.
“Let’s not turn Barney into the Fonz”: How I Met Your Mother Creators Desperately Avoided Giving Barney an Annoying Trait Before 1 Joke Changed Their Minds
However, despite the positive aspects of the character, there’s the misogynistic side to him that became almost hard to overlook, as the show progressed. People quickly forgot about his humane side and his epic one-liners like “suit up!” and the iconic high fives – instead they began criticizing the character as outdated and offensive. But despite the backlash,Neil Patrick Harrishad a completely different opinion about Barney.
Sharing his take onHow I Met Your Motherand offering a deeper understanding of his infamous character, Neil Patrick Harris opened up during an interview withThe Guardian. Despitecriticism that Barney’s anticsare outdated and misogynistic, Harris offered an insight into his character and set the record straight. Acknowledging that some viewers might find Barney’s behavior problematic when viewed through a modern lens, Harris remained unfazed about the criticisms.
Well, my take on How I Met Your Mother is that it was not all real. The structure of the show is future Ted [Mosby, the central character] telling his children the story. In doing so, he’s fictionalizing the narrative and he’s talking about his friend who was the wingman, the buddy, the guy that was always wanting to party and have fun and make any experience an event.
So, I think of Barney as this weird anti-superhero, who when he failed would just make up a story to make him succeed… Some people will be offended by it in retrospect – and there’s not much one can do in retrospect.
Framing Barney’s exploits as part of a larger, fictional narrative, Neil Patrick Harris likened his character to an “anti-superhero” who would spin wild tales to cover up his failures. Further, the actor emphasized that no matter how you look at it, Barney’s escapades were always intended as over-the-top, tongue-in-cheek fun, rather than a blueprint for real-life situations.
Neil Patrick Harris Reflected on Nine Seasons of Awesomeness
Thereafter, Neil Patrick Harris reminisced about his nine-season stint onHow I Met Your Motherand described the experience as “very good energy” —a phrase that could almost be a catchphrase in its own right. Harris recalled that, unlike Barney’s frequent “Haaave you met Ted?” pitch, the show’s production was filled with camaraderie and fun.
The experience of making that show for nine seasons was very good energy … and there was never a sense of doing things with bad intent.
Neil Patrick Harris, ever the optimist, recalled the set’s atmosphere as one where every legendary moment was crafted with good intentions. Therefore, while explaining how Barney’s schemes and antics were over the top, Harris noted that the heart ofHow I Met Your Motherwas always about friendship, love, and the pursuit of legendary moments.
How I Met Your Motheris currently available to watch on Netflix.
Krittika Mukherjee
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3218
Krittika Mukherjee is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on films, TV shows, and celebrity news with over 3,000 articles published. With an educational background in Journalism, and a keen interest in filmmaking, Krittika blends factual precision with creative flair, when crafting her editorials, or dissecting fan theories.Her coverage often includes news and analyses of critically acclaimed films, celebrity news, and franchises like the Wizarding World, LOTR, DC, and MCU—particularly Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts, Superheroes, and fan theories. As a Wizarding World aficionado, Krittika has spent countless hours exploring hidden backstories, unadapted book moments, spells, and trivias surrounding J.K. Rowling’s lore.An imaginative writer with a way with words, Krittika has worked as an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a web content writer for a year. She brought her experience and expertise to FandomWire to pursue her desire for sipping coffee while dissecting films and tracking celebrity drama.
