How I Met Your Fatherjust becamelegen wait for it … darywith its latestHow I Met Your Mothersurprise cameo.
Out steps Barney, and he just says, “Duuuude,” as his bumper falls off.
When future Sophie’s son asks, “Wait, who’s that?”
Neil Patrick Harris and Hilary Duff on ‘How I Met Your Father’.Patrick Wymore/Hulu
she coyly replies, “We’ll get there soon enough.”
Harris is the secondHIMYMseries regular to pop up onHIMYFafterCobie Smuldersappearedin the season 1 finale.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How did Barney’s return onHIMYFcome about?
Patrick Wymore/Hulu
ELIZABETH BERGER:We’re always so excited at the prospect of having anyone from the original on.
We had an idea on how to use Barney this season that was really exciting to us very early.
Because everyone adores Pam so, so much, she got a very speedy response.
Was it always the plan to save Barney’s cameo for season 2?
How did you decide to bring in Robin first, then Barney?
ISAAC APTAKER:We talked about what makes the most sense for the story and where Sophie’s at.
So we’re always looking to check both of those boxes.
Does that mean we can expect to see all the other main OGHIMYMcharacters in cameos in the future?
BERGER:Yes, absolutely.
We truly have discussed plot lines for all of the original characters.
APTAKER:And our cast gets so excited too.
Hilary was so excited to work with Neil.
They messaged a little bit and he interviewed her back when we launched the show last year.
They have these shared experiences and them getting to share the screen was really special.
From the short scene in the premiere, it’s clear there’s more to come with Barney.
What can you tease about his future onHIMYF?
BERGER:That was really truly just a little tease but we do have some really meaty stuff coming.
How is meeting Barney going to impact Sophie?
Why is he the right person she needs to meet now?
And that’s what we tried to do.
We did our best and we hope people are into it.
APTAKER:He is the busiest guy.
Not just acting but magic, being a dad…
So we shot all his stuff in one go.
It was right in the middle [of the season].
We actually just found outit’s getting torn down.
We were blessed to be a part of that Hollywood legacy before it got torn down.
APTAKER:Yeah, we can debunk that, just based on the fact of the math of it.
He would be something like a sophomore in high school.
It’s not really the story that we’re trying to tell.
Having his license plate read “LGNDRY” was such a nice touch.
Were there any other Easter eggs you brainstormed that didn’t make it on screen?
We all thought it would be definitely something European, something very high end, and something dark.
BERGER:With Neil, everything was a discussion, like what is playing in his car?
What is he wearing?
But yeah, every detail of what was going to be shown was discussed ad nauseam.
APTAKER:As was picking out the suit.
Our costume designer, who’s fantastic, felt the pressure of making sure she nailed it.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
How I Met Your Fatherseason 2 debuts new episodes Tuesdays on Hulu.
