Summary
While starring inHow I Met Your Mother, Neil Patrick Harris acted in an often-forgotten film, playing a character that paid tribute to his role in the show. ForHow I Met Your Mother’s nine-season run,Harris played Barney Stinson, the well-dressed womanizer.Barney lives according to a playbook, following his own rules on women, dating, and love. ThoughBarney’s job is comically mysterious, he’s rarely caught dressed in anything other than a suit. Among the show’s five main characters, Barney frequently serves as the source of comedic relief, often delivering witty one-liners or intriguing lore, likeBarney’s elusive fake family.
With notable deviations,Harris is often cast as an intelligent, well-kept characterwith questionable morals. While sometimes unsavory, these loose morals also allow for comedy, with some ofBarney’s worst (and best) traitsmaking him one ofHow I Met Your Mother’smost iconic characters. Although the show is one of his most notable and long-running roles, Harris has starred in many feature films as well. An interesting example came months after the last episode ofHow I Met Your Motheraired in 2014 – an unheralded comedy film in which he plays a character that pays tribute to Barney Stinson.
How I Met Your Mother Co-Creator Defends Barney’s Portrayal As “A Parody Of Toxic Masculinity”
How I Met Your Mother co-creator Craig Thomas issues a response in defense of how the popular comedy depicted the actions of Barney Stinson.
Neil Patrick Harris' A Million Ways To Die In The West Character Perfectly Honors A Barney Stinson Catchphrase
Harris' Cadence And Tone Are Unmistakably Similar In The Roles
In 2014, Harris starred inA Million Ways to Die in the West’s comedic castas Foy, the town’s pretentious snob. In the film, when Foy accepts Albert’s (Seth MacFarlane) request to duel, he yells, “Challenge accepted!” in a very similar style to Barney’s mantra, “Suit up!” As one of themost iconic phrases fromHow I Met Your Mother,Barney uses “suit up” to encourage his friends to prepare themselves and don their metaphorical armor, which, in his case, is an actual suit. When saying this line,Foy’s cadence and tone are highly recognizable, clearly reminiscent of Barney, especially as he warns Albert to prepare himself for a duel.
Both Characters Share A Love Of Pursuing Women
Both characters have a hypermasculine persona, caring deeply about their status and appearance, hinting at an underlying insecurity. Besides their tendency to wear nice suits, Foy also takes special care and pride in his mustache, typified byA Million Ways to Die in the West’s famous “Mustache Song”. Both also have high-powered jobs, though Foy’s is notably less mysterious than Barney’s.This masculinity is also expressed in their womanizing tendencies,with Barney often boasting about his dating conquests and Foy’s loud confidence while flaunting his new girlfriend. Both characters hold themselves to a prideful higher standard, which, unbeknownst to them, is what makes them funny.
A Million Ways to Die in the Westis now available to stream on Netflix.
Undeniably, Foy’s character was inspired by Harris’ iconicHow I Met Your Motherrole. Between their mannerisms, speech patterns, and even physical portrayal,Foy pays tribute to Barney, whose nine-year run on the show had just concluded at the time of the movie’s release. In 2014, for fans ofHow I Met Your Motherseeking more of Barney and his weird rules and pristine personality,A Million Ways to Die in the Westwas the logical next viewing option, with Harris bringing life to the remarkably similar character of Foy.
