Search form

Scroll To Top
Popnography

Neil Patrick Harris Turns Sour, from Hedwig to Lemony Snicket

NPH Turns Sour, from Hedwig to Lemony Snicket

The How I Met Your Mother actor has entered his dark period. 

From Hedwig to Lemony Snicket, Neil Patrick Harris has entered his dark period.

After years of chasing a laugh track on How I Met Your Mother, the actor is following roles in Gone Girl and American Horror Story with Netflix's new Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, based on the classic children's books. In the new super-stylized series, Harris stars as the villainous Olaf, who becomes the guardian of three orphans solely to abscond with their fortune.

"I'm drawn to puzzles and darkness," says Harris. "The Alfred Hitchcock-y vibe is something I've been into since I was kid, and I loved Gene Wilder's take on Willy Wonka and Bridge to Terabithia."

Aside from being just plain rotten, Harris's alter ego is also a rotten aspiring musical-theater actor -- basically, a much crappier, much uglier version of himself.

"Playing someone so miserable makes things hard to complain about," says Harris, who spends two and a half hours having prosthetics applied for the role. "I can ingest my annoyances and use them."

Like what you see here? Subscribe and be the first to receive the latest issue of Out. Subscribe to print here and receive a complimentary digital subscription.

30 Years of Out100Out / Advocate Magazine - Jonathan Groff and Wayne Brady

From our Sponsors

Most Popular

Latest Stories

Michael Martin