Neil Patrick Harris says How I Met Your Mother character may be ‘offensive in retrospect’

‘I think of Barney as this weird anti‑superhero, who when he failed would just make up a story to make him succeed,’ actor said

Neil Patrick Harris says that his character Barney Stinson in the hit American sitcom How I Met Your Mother may be “offensive in retrospect”.

Harris starred in HIMYM for nine seasons, which ran from 2005 to 2014. His character, Barney, was known for his brash, manipulative, and opinionated personality.

In an interview with The Guardian, Harris was asked about recent criticism of the character, particularly Barney’s attitudes towards women and how he utilised forms of manipulation to woo potential love interests.

Harris said that his personal take on the sitcom and Barney himself was “that it was not all real”.

“The structure of the show is future Ted [Mosby, the central character] telling his children the story [of his friends],” Harris explained. “In doing so, he’s fictionalising the narrative and he’s talking about his friend who was the wing man, 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.”

When it comes to re-analysing past shows from a modern perspective, Harris said he was unsure about “critiquing the supposed insensitivities”.

He said: “Some people will be offended by it in retrospect – and there’s not much one can do in retrospect.”

The cast of How I Met Your Mother, which ran for 208 episodes (CBS via Getty Images)

“But 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,” he added.

HIMYM followed the storyline of Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor), an architect, who recounts to his children the events that led him to meet their mother. His journey is made more eventful by the presence of his friends Lily (Alyson Hannigan), Marshall (Jason Segel), Robin (Cobie Smulders), and Barney.

Earlier this year, it was announced that HIMYM is getting a sequel, in the form of a new series starring Hilary Duff.