Neil Patrick Harris Calls Britney A Stunt

Posted on April 10, 2008 at 9:38 pm (PST)

Neil Patrick Harris (34) went on the record calling the casting of Britney Spears on How I Met Your Mother a "stunt." Neil isn’t alone. Most of us thought the show only cast Britney to bring more attention to the show, and it worked. Neil said:

“We wish we weren’t opposite an awkward reality dancing competition (Dancing With the Stars), but we have no say about that. I just am a real fan of our content. I think we have a great show going, and I hope it’s not screwed up by the desire for 700,000 more viewers.”

“I’m in the minority that our show does not need stunt casting in order to succeed. I worry that if they start Will and Grace-ing us too much, that the show will suffer. We’re all really proud of the content of the show.”

Britney helped attract an addition 1 million viewers, which turned out to be the most watched episode since the show debuted in September of 2005. The gossip blogs like HG helped bring more attention to the show as well, since Britney was a very popular topic before her father helped get her life under control.

Most people who voted on HG thought Britney did a good enough job acting they would like to see her do more. It’s too bad Britney is viewed more as a freak show, or a circus act, by acting professionals.