Neil Patrick Harris on Smurfs, Fake IDs, & Hosting Award Shows

Okay, I'm here with Neil Patrick Harris backstage at Kimmel. It's exciting. It is, there's a buzz in the air. Mostly because everyone's drunk, because we're right next to a bar. There's a huge green room. And a huge bar.

Indeed. Indeed.

But you were playing

The youngsters don't, listen, young Hollywood. Don't drink without a fake ID and a ride home. The most important thing being there, the fake ID.

Of course. Uh, hello. You don't want to get embarrassed. Did you do that when you were younger?

Of course, yeah.

You did.

Yeah, I did. I had I had a terrible fake ID when I was like 19. Listen, when I was 19, I looked like I was five. I looked like literally like I was 15 years old. Everyone was laughing now. Like it was the most embarrassing thing and I had an ID of like a 29-year-old. But then when I was 20, I paid like $50 at the time and I got like a fake ID with my picture and everything and I trotted it around. And so by the time I was 21, I was kind of like I wanted to kick things off with a clip. Okay. You were just at Comic-Con. I was. Do you remember an interview for Young Hollywood for How I Met Your Mother, where you were interviewed by DJ the intern because the host

Oh, yeah. We gave him a hard time.

Was crawling in the bathroom having a wardrobe malfunction.

Well, the host was a wardrobe malfunction, or or also known as can't hold it. I was wearing a onesie. I was wearing latex and it was a one piece. It was me. And and you had something to say about the host of Young Hollywood. I'm just going to play that.

You were so much better than he was wonderful. He was wonderful. He was wonderful. That heck that heck was supposed to be. She I hear she's honestly, and I'm glad the camera's not rolling. I hear she's awful. Yeah. So congratulations to you because

Thank you.

Thank God she's in the bathroom.

Thank you. Thank you, guys. So there you go, Neil. I have some redeeming to do, I think.

Yeah. I have three I have three words to defend myself on that.

Okay. Shame on you. For having a wardrobe malfunction. What was your wardrobe malfunction?

It really wasn't a wardrobe malfunction. I really got lost.

You were in the bathroom.

I got lost.

In the bathroom.

In the bathroom. So to redeem myself today

Indeed.

I wore blue.

Nice.

Smurfy blue. I brought my glasses from the premiere yesterday.

Fantastic.

Cuz actually I think this is a really really a great set of 3D glasses.

I agree. I think

And I'm wearing blue fake eyelashes.

Wow. Wow. So there you go. Let me ask you a question. Now that you have the glasses on,

Yeah.

Does it look like I'm in 3D? You look Does it look like I'm really sitting right in front of you?

You look fantastic. You look like you might have looked on your fake ID. You're acting opposite a tennis ball from let's say, give yourself some credit.

True, that's a weird process. Has it did it get easier in the second one?

It was I could be more confident in the second one. I knew what they looked like. You know, the first one you kind of was in the back of your mind you had thinking, oh, what if this is just just awful. And you're acting to just and then the movie ends up being awful. And the movie was really good. So, this one uh, this one it was easier to act to. And I'm glad that when I do get to do something like a family demographic that it's actually something that I like as opposed to something that I like.

Which you did. Now, do they watch? Do they understand?

They didn't quite get the the glasses part of it. They kept taking the glasses off. And I as a father, I kept putting them back on. And about 20 minutes into the movie, it's I I looked what it wasn't wasn't that blurry. So I let them watch it that way. And they stayed through the whole thing. Harper, our daughter, love like was obsessed and and thought Gargamel was hilarious. And thought Azrael was the funniest thing, the cat. Not scary. She, you know, it makes me think she could be like a serial killer. Like she's like like she thought what Gargamel was doing when he was like torturing people was funny. Like torturing the Smurfs. Harper thought was like laughing at that. Like she thought that was hilarious. So we're uh getting getting rid of all our pets.

And speaking of the kids, the name you name your son in the film blue. Blue, yeah. Was that before Blue Ivy because I know you shot the film like a year ago or was that after Blue Ivy?

I think it was before Blue Ivy.

Did they copy it?

I think they cop well, I wouldn't say copied. I think they were moved. They were. They read the script ahead of time.

Inspired.

Inspired by maybe. Perhaps. They were.

So you should get dibs in the clothing line then, maybe.

At least I'd like a point. It could, wouldn't it?

Sure. So, there were sort of three protagonists protagonist Smurfs. Along with Papa Smurf. Grouchy, Clumsy and Vanity. Hmm. Which of the three do you identify the most with?

Mine's Vanity, easily. Easily. I would throw Papa Smurf in there, but that's too easy for you. I'd say of those three,

Yeah.

Vanity. Hello. We are in Hollywood. I said Grouchy, that would be so awful.

Well, my Grouchy's a close second, I gotta say. Yeah. I would be Vanity Smurf until I'm Hungry Smurf and then I'd be Grouchy Smurf. Yeah. And Jimmy has a little appearance in this.

Jimmy plays Passive-Aggressive Smurf. He plays Passive-Aggressive. So, I'm like

And one of the funnier lines in the movie. Like, he got a big reaction for his lines.

He did get a big reaction. And no one knows it's him. I mean, it's you once you know it's him, then you get get it, but the idea of Passive-Aggressive Smurf and the line that he has in the movie is really funny. And he's playing so against type, too.

Agreed. How do you manage to do it all? Because you're hosting the Emmys coming up. How I Met Your Mother, ninth season. Films on top of it. And you just worked with are you working with Seth MacFarlane?

Just finished, yep.

Did you happen to talk to Seth because I know people have sort of said you've hosted the Tonys so many years, the Emmys, Oscars, I think everybody talks about you possibly hosting hosting the Oscars.

When I was hanging out with Seth, they were they were still courting him to host the Oscars again. And I had I still don't know what his answer is. I think it was no, but you know, a no in Hollywood doesn't always necessarily mean no. It just means more money. So yeah. The Oscars is super duper hard as a show. I think it's the hardest of them all. Yeah. Cuz you have to be irreverent and funny and dark because everyone's seen Ricky Gervais, and seen Amy and Tina, and seen Seth and know that that needs to be. But yet, it's a really it's an awards show, we're honoring people. So everyone's dressed up like super tight, can't move. They're want to be treated respectfully, but respect is kind of dull, so you can't be mean to people. You can't be too nice to them. There's all this you know hundreds of millions of people sitting at home judging you. Judging every joke, every commercial, every speech. You know, you kinda want to drink and like yell at the TV and say, why is she wearing that? And what was with that punchline? You know what I mean? It's like it's a really hard one to to try and uh, crack. That being said, it would be fun to to attempt. But you know, it's not like I'm chomping at the bit to do it.

Right. And How I Met Your Mother, last season coming up.

Indeed. Season nine. So it's going to be almost like a big long weekend wedding. It's gonna take place sort of pretty much through the whole season. Yeah. Um, biggest wedding do's and don'ts as a guest.

Don't throw up. I've seen it. I haven't done it.

You haven't done it? But I've seen it. And that's always a, oh, no. And Nicky's in the third urinal in the back. We need some help. Uh, do uh, make a toast. Prepare a toast. Goes a long way. There's always that moment when you're like that the best man, the bride of honor. Maid of honor. Maid of honor. Uh, they do their speak their toasts and then like the dad and all that. And then there's that awkward maybe 15 minutes when you're kind of wondering like, should I, should I say something? Should I? No, you say something. No, I don't want to do it. Do it. The the bride and groom appreciate it.

Okay, well, coming from you, you're such a great host. Make a toast, you know. Yeah. Well, the worst is when they keep it's too long. Don't make a toast and then throw up.