[ SECRET POST #1847 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #1847 ⌋


Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.


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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: pages, secrets from Secret Submission Post #.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 1 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 1 - too big ], [ 0 - repeats ]
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom.livejournal.com]

05. http://i41.tinypic.com/10nhq8p.jpg

[countess-k.livejournal.com]

I don't watch the show. I'm curious to know why you wouldn't be able to stand him if the actor wasn't gay? Is the character a womanizer?

[agnes-bean.livejournal.com]

Not the OP, but yes, yes he is.

[awesome-emmy.livejournal.com]

To the extreme. It's %90 of what he talks about and the show makes frequent mention of how he likes to take advantage of girls with low self-esteem.

[(Anonymous)]

Not OP

Yes, the character is a womanizer, and I think the casting was intentional. The fact that NPH's sexual orientation is well known makes it more of a joke that he's playing this awful, lecherous womanizer. A wonderful, feminist straight man could play the role, but the obvious contrast between actor and character is what makes it funnier/more palatable to some.

[countess-k.livejournal.com]

Oh I see now. It makes total sense. This is then the opposite of Charlie Sheen in 21/2 Men where the actor actually made me not want to watch the show because I found nothing interesting about him playing his asshole self.

[(Anonymous)]

Yes, but also the two characters/shows are very different types of womanizing. In HIMYM the rest of the cast discourages Barney and actively dislike his womanizing ways. In Men it's played as something to aspire to - something his brother and nephew look up to.

Also, while Barney is definitely a womanizer, he's nowhere near the sexist ass that Charlie is on Men. That is one of the most misogynistic sexist shows I've ever seen.

[intrigueing.livejournal.com]

Before I watched How I Met Your Mother, the terrible stupid pandering CBS promos I had seen all made me think he was supposed to be some legitimately looked-up-to James Bond-esque guy. Then when I actually watched the show, I was totally surprised by the fact that actually all the characters think his womanizing is disgusting and the show portrays him as utterly ridiculous and pathetic and insecure, and only impressive because of the sheer lengths he will take his insanity to. Charlie is basically the opposite in both the characters' and writers' treatment of him: they're all impressed with him solely because he sleeps with lots of women. Nothing more.

[yogurtpo3.livejournal.com]

He was cast before it was made public that he was gay. He only publicly came out in Season 2 of the show. Having said that, casting NPH did change the character into a straight male horn dog (ala Jack Black is what they were initially going for) into a character where you can see layers of vulnerability beneath all that.

[yogurtpo3.livejournal.com]

Whoops.. I mean "from... into"..

[valenciapilgrim.livejournal.com]

He wasn't out when the show started, was he? I'm not a huge expert on this topic or anything, I'm just stating it the way I remember it happening.

I still find a lot of what his character says to be revolting, but I do love him at the same time. I chock this up to two things: One, NPH's acting skills and general all-around awesomeness. Not the fact that he is a gay man (i will admit that softens the blow a TAD bit), but just that he is adorable and wonderful awesomesauce. The other thing that i think makes Barney easier to take is that I think that we are supposed to see the character as doing what he does out of emotionally painful childhood experiences (not to sound too melodramatic here), and recognize that he has HUGE gaps in self-awareness, which is where a lot of the comedy comes from. One of my favorite quotes from him is where he says "When I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead." And his friends just look at him like 'You have no idea what being a human being is like, do you?'

Anyway, I always enjoy bad-boy type characters that I really probably wouldn't want to spend 10 minutes around in real life (Damon on Vampire Diaries, Sawyer in lost, Dean on Supernatural,ect). Plus they ALWAYS get the best lines.

[valenciapilgrim.livejournal.com]

Ooh and Jayne from Firefly too, love him!

[(Anonymous)]

Totally agree. A big reason why Barney is endearing in a twisted way is because he seems to just not be able to understand how human beings feel and act, and is actually convinced that his version of "awesomeness" is actually awesome, that his desires and opinions are actually legitimate, etc. So instead of actively disliking him you just shake your head and wonder how the hell he isn't dead or in jail yet. If he didn't seem like such a space alien he wouldn't be as likable.

Also, his schemes are so over-the-top and ballsy you can't help but be impressed in a Lex Luthor- or David Xanatos-ish kind of way, even if you think the actual goals of his schemes are despicable. Like Ted said: "I don't know whether to be thoroughly disgusted or really impressed".

[childings.livejournal.com]

I don't think that's so surprising, and there's a rich history of gay people playing straight characters as a way to make fun of straight people. NPH is an openly gay actor and is well aware of what that adds to the character

[agnes-bean.livejournal.com]

This makes sense to me -- it helps reenforce the understanding that Barney is a totally fictional character, and doesn't draw at all from the actor's real life experiences. (I think it also helps that NPH is totally sweet and in a stable relationship and just NOT AT ALL like Barney).

[visp.livejournal.com]

I agree. Part of the hilarity of the Barney Stinson character is that it's a married gay guy's piss-take on the straight 'Bros' and 'Pickup Artists' - same way Steven Colbert is funny because he's a spoof of conservatives.

[intrigueing.livejournal.com]

This! :) And you know, some conservatives think Colbert's views are actually serious, just like some guys think HIMYM plays Barney's "awesome" qualities as being actually serious.

[verschreibsel.livejournal.com]

ugh that annoys me so much though.
When I was still in school I had so many homophobic classmates who loved Barney.

Although I do think it's funny that his books like the Bro Code are mostly read by girls in my experience. There are some youtube comments on his Get Psyched Mix videos about "bros" finding the music through the book but all my female friends who like HIMYM like to read the books. Myself included. They're pretty funny.

[(Anonymous)]

Same.
One time I overheard a conversation where a girl said "NPH is so sexy. Too bad he's gay because I would so love to hit that!" and a guy was like "What?! How can a faggot play such an awesome guy like Barney Stinson?"

Depressing.

[(Anonymous)]

I guess the OTT Testosterone Poisoning is just a lot more hilarious and bizarre to girls than to guys.

[visp.livejournal.com]

Yup, which makes it even funnier.

[(Anonymous)]

Slightly OT, but I was very impressed in the Harold and Kumar movies how he is billed as "Neil Patrick Harris" being played by "Neil Patrick Harris." He wanted the audience to know that he wasn't 'himself' in it and didn't want that traditional 'himself' billing. (sorry for typos doing this from phone that's being difficult)

[nomorenoodles.livejournal.com]

I think it's mostly due to his wonderful acting but yes, his being openly gay does probably come into it. As well as being a genuinely nice person off the screen. That's probably what made the writers make Barney a vulnerable guy who just wants love deep down!

[(Anonymous)]

I kind of feel the same way. I know that I shouldn't associate what an actor does on screen to who they are in real life, but sometimes I can't help it. And I think sometimes after playing a part for a long time (like on a long running tv show or movie series) an actor would start to show some of the same mannerisms in their every day life. Especially if they're a method actor who really gets into the part. Johnny Depp often does that. During the whole PotC run whenever he did an interview there was a bit of Jack Sparrow showing through. But since NPH is gay, it's like a buffer in my mind because it's unlikely he'd treat women like Barney does. If he was straight it'd be easier to associate him with being a jerk. Sometimes I think Bradley Cooper is a douche because he often plays the role. I know he probably isn't, but then most of what I see of him is on film as I don't follow his interviews or anything. It's all I've got to go on.

[verschreibsel.livejournal.com]

I kind of agree?

I think I wouldn't like him if he wasn't NPH though. NPH makes the character likable. If it was a Charlie Sheen kind of guy I'd probably hate him. There have been moments when I side eyed the writers (like when Barney talks about how he "sold" a woman for laughs).

But somehow NPH makes me get over the bad jokes and see the hilariously overdone, funny part.

But it helps to know that he isn't like that in real life. Not because he's gay but because he's in a committed relationship and cares about his family and so on.