The Best Time Barney Ever Broke Character On How I Met Your Mother
Between his silly catchphrases, penchant for the dramatics, and absurd creativity, Barney Stinson, played by Neil Patrick Harris on "How I Met Your Mother," is a character rife with comedy. He's consistently hilarious, although some of his jokes are now decidedly, uncomfortably out-of-date. Of course, Barney wouldn't be anywhere near as charming without Harris playing him, which only becomes much more obvious in the show's blooper reels. Harris dials up the ridiculous even more, leading to some gems behind the scenes.
His best moment-breaking character comes later in the series, in Season 7. Up until this point, it's long been a mystery as to who Barney's father is — he first believes he's the son of TV host Bob Barker, giving way to a hilarious blooper in Season 2 of Harris warbling his voice in over-the-top emotion. However, in Season 6, Barney learns that his father is actually the man who pretended to be his uncle while he was growing up, Jerome Whittaker.
It's also a long-running joke on "How I Met Your Mother" that Barney hates Canada — he's disparaging toward the country and constantly ridicules Robin for being Canadian. So, when Robin discovers that Barney's father has a Canadian mother, it turns into a humorous scene that only gets funnier in the blooper reel.
Neil Patrick Harris struggles with a door while showcasing the Barney-brand dramatics
In the Season 7 clip, at about the 0:13-second mark, Robin reveals to the group that Barney is "one-quarter Canadian" and sticks a little Canadian flag in his suit's breast pocket. He, predictably, freaks out immediately, saying, "No. That's not true. It's impossible!" and gets up to run out the door. Only, he forgets to throw the flag on the ground, so he comes back in to do that. And then the door won't close, so he's stuck acting ridiculously upset while trying to unlock the door to close it. To top it off, he's wearing the infamous, yet adorable ducky tie.
The cast and crew roar with laughter in the background of the scene, watching Neil Patrick Harris struggle with the door all while staying in his distraught character. Then, someone off-screen quips, "That proves he's a Canadian," earning some delighted laughs from the cast. The actual scene plays out similarly, though he only storms out of the door once, throwing his flag on the floor before leaving.
Barney shines in his moments of extreme dramatics, and this blooper highlights that to a tee.