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Neil Patrick Harris

Neil Patrick Harris Quotes

Actor

Neil Patrick Harris, born on June 15, 1973, is an American actor, singer, and host. He gained widespread popularity for his role as Lenny Leonard in the television series 'Gilmore Girls'. Harris has achieved great success in Broadway musicals and is known for his versatility and sense of humor. He has won multiple awards for his performances.

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Famous Neil Patrick Harris Quotes

“I thought the idea of 'Smurfs' lent itself to the 3-D environment pretty well, I think, better than some of the farm animal movies that have been done before. I was a fan of the 'Smurfs' and they come with their own fan base, which I thought was nice.”

Thinking Wells Has Beens Ideas Done Animal Environment Nice Fans Farms Smurf

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“I was a big fan of how Johnny Carson hosted awards shows. Dick Cavett, as well, I think did a really great job of providing a nice blend of comedy, wit and class.”

Thinking Wells Shows Bigs Jobs Class Comedy Nice Fans Wit Awards Providing Really Great Great Job Award Shows

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“I'm shocked at how early everything closes here. But people start earlier. I miss the late nightlife in NYC, but then again I sing and burn so much energy in the show that it's probably good - I get to go home and sleep.”

People Shows Home Energy Sleep Missing Late Shocked Nyc Nightlife

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“If you don't have any ties to the music industry, you just love 'American Idol,' you can sit there and do exactly what you do in your living room, which is stare at them and judge them.”

Ifs Rooms Judging Industry Staring Ties Idols Living Room Music Industry American Idol

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“It's good to have a lot of once-in-a-lifetimes in your lifetime. If you get the chance to skydive, go skydiving. If you're offered a part in a weird Shakespeare play in San Diego, slap on some tights and rock out some iambic pentameter.”

Ifs Play Chance Rocks Lifetime Slap San Diego Tights Skydiving Shakespeare Play

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“'Smurfs' just seemed like a great way to represent a young father to be, guy in a marriage, work in conflict, and I was really interested in the technical CG side of things. I'd never done a movie that I thought would be so physical and yet so precise. So I was intrigued by all of that.”

Way Done Would Be Young Guy Father Sides Conflict Precise Intrigued Being A Father Smurf

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“So I've done my fair share of theater. I have also been very fortunate in that I've been able to come to New York two or three times a year just to see as many shows as possible. I think the live theater culture here is incredible.”

Thinking Years Two Done Shows Able Culture Three Share New York Fairs Theater Incredibles Fortunate Three Times Fair Share Live Theater

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“Starship Troopers was great. It was great fun to work on something with blue screens and big budget special effects. Denise Richards was nice to look at too, of course.”

Looks Bigs Courses Fun Nice Special Effects Blue Screens Budgets Special Effects

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“Thankfully, the meat of the Tony telecast is the performances from the shows, so the awards show kind of creates itself around the season, and then I fill in based on the vibe of the season in general. I'm happy that there'll be so many legitimately good performances on the show.”

Kind Shows Performances Seasons Meat Awards Award Shows

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“The TV schedule is fantastic. It allows you to have a life. Theater actors are so disciplined - especially if you're doing musicals, you have to be in shape physically, mentally, and have to be on your game all the time. That's exhausting. On TV, especially a sitcom, you have a lot of free time to play.”

Ifs Play Actors Games Tvs Shapes Theater Fantastic Schedules Exhausting Sitcom Free Time

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“The voiceover thing is very selfless. You go in there and they've hired you for your voice, but they know exactly what they want, and the writer's there and he knows exactly how it's supposed to be said. So you can't really argue with them, you just have to let them tell you what to do and then do it.”

Knows Want Said Voice Arguing Supposed To Be Selfless

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“Tobey's a mellow, cool guy. He's just a good guy. I know that's not the answer you want, and I don't mean that as the political thing to say, but he's a nice guy.”

Knows Want Mean Political Guy Answers Nice Good Guy Nice Guy Mellow Cool Guy

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“We're in such a volatile climate right now politically. I think they didn't want Assassins to not succeed due to popular opinion and politics, versus on its own merits. I can respect that.”

Thinking Want I Can Opinion Right Now Succeed Climate Dues Merit Versus Assassins Popular Opinion

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“When I auditioned for the show, I didn't realize it was an MTV production, which is going to make for really good tunes during the episodes, if nothing else.”

Ifs Shows Realizing Productions Tunes Episodes Mtv

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“With the Tonys it's a little tricky because a lot of the funnier jokes are more insider, so people watching at home may not get a Julie Taymor reference the way that New Yorkers would. So you have to figure out what comedy plays to a large audience and still respect the individuals who are there.”

People Way May Littles Stills Play Home Individual Audience Comedy Figures Jokes Tricky New Yorkers Insiders

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“As actors you don't want to have one label. You'd rather have seven.”

Want Actors Seven Labels

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“I don't want to have to inadvertently find a gift and go like, "What the hell is? Oh no, that's for me." And then have to pretend like I'm surprised later. If I know where they're hidden, I will not look. I love presents and I hate faking surprises.”

Ifs Knows Want Looks Hate Hell I Hate Surprise

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“I think flirting is great fun. It doesn't mean that anything's going to come of it but it's fun to be told that you're hot and that your tits look great. You all get your pens out.”

Thinking Looks Mean Fun Hot Pens Flirting

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“I don't like to be disparaging about my past roles. That's the only taboo that I don't like to cross.”

Past Roles Crosses Taboo My Past Disparaging

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“Babies just change everything. You have to become super-selfless and super-tired and super-amenable to change. They just change all the time.”

Baby Tired Selfless Amenable

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“I regret not dancing more, just cutting loose on the dance floor. I still admire those who don't care much about what others think of them.”

Thinking Stills Care Cutting Regret Dancing Don't Care Admire I Regret Dance Floor

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“When you have twin four-year-olds, you are able to dance like a fool, often. And I do.”

Years Able Four Fool Four Years Twins

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“I'd love to be some sort of villain in a big-budget action movie. Or a superhero franchise. That'd be rad.”

Bigs Action Budgets Villain Superhero Action Movie Rad

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“Love is awesome and endless, but it is constantly changing its form. You love something for what it is, then it changes. But that change can make you love it even more.”

Form Love Is Endless

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“For film, I audition just like everyone else, because it's a different set of casting directors.”

Different Film Directors Auditions Casting Casting Directors

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“I'm very interested in starting to produce, and direct, and have an umbrella over an entire project in the future. I'd like to have control over what the characters do. I think as an actor, you get a little too caught up in the moment-to-moment, beat-to-beat stuff to have perspective.”

Thinking Littles Moments Character Actors Stuff Produce Perspective Projects Beats Direct Starting Caught Caught Up Umbrella

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“I have actual strong ideas. You just have to wait for the right timing. Timing is pretty crucial here. I can't dedicate a lot of energy and efforts trying to, say, create a show that I want to produce while I'm currently on another show.”

Want Trying I Can Ideas Shows Energy Strong Waiting Effort Produce Crucial Timing Right Timing

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“I feel like with actors wanting to direct, you really only have a shot or two. You can't just make a bunch of little independent movies, and then finally one gets noticed. You have to make a really good one right away.”

Feels Littles Two Actors Shots Direct Independent Bunch

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“You have to be careful when you're doing an interview.”

Careful Interviews Be Careful

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“If I'm doing some weird tick with my mouth, or not standing still or something, I'll be the first person to notice it, and then want to change that. I think it's important just to maintain trajectory, to not just use your same tricks over and over.”

Ifs Thinking Want Firsts Persons Stills Important Use Mouths Standing Tricks First Person Tick Trajectory Standing Still

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“I sort of pride myself in my dissatisfaction with my work. I've always been concerned with buying the hype, and having that make your performances suffer.”

Suffering Pride Concerned Performances Buying Hype Dissatisfaction

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“I'm wildly impressed with the diversity of gay roles.”

Roles Gay Diversity Impressed

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“As I learned from chapters past, it's important to try and stay in the chapter that you're in, and enjoy it while it's lasting. Not be constantly worrying about where this step will take you - living in the potential future. Like a good meal. Like a good chef's tasting meal. You don't want to wonder what's next while you're eating the foie gras.”

Want Trying Important Past Next Enjoy Wonder Steps Worry Eating Meals Lasting Chapters Chef Tasting Good Meals

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“The discipline of live theater - doing the same perfect thing night after night, eight times a week - never ceases to amaze me”

Night Perfect Week Discipline Theater Eight Cease Perfect Things Live Theater

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“May I suggest a drinking game where everytime I do a ridiculously long awkward blink, someone does a shot of some kind of alcohol?”

Kind May Long Doe Games Shots Drinking Alcohol Awkward Blink

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“My parents own a restaurant in Albuquerque.”

Parent Restaurants Albuquerque

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“I would not dream of taking on Tobey Maguire. Plus, he's a talented and nice guy, and I have nothing but nice things to say about him.”

Dream Guy Nice Plus Nice Things Nice Guy

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“It's really something for people who are approaching 30 to take a look at what that means to them. I think turning 30 is a chance to re-identify with yourself.”

People Thinking Looks Mean Chance Turning 30

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“On MTV, the dialogue can be a little darker, more interesting and edgy... the animation is just phenomenal. It's a CGI program that's doing all the animation.”

Littles Interesting Program Dialogue Animation Phenomenal Mtv Edgy Cgi

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“Being able to live my life transparently does empower me to feel like I can be myself more. It's easier for me to flirt with girls now that girls know that I'm gay. It almost makes it a sexier encounter than if I was trying to pretend that I was straight.”

Ifs Knows Feels Trying Doe I Can Able Girl Easier Gay Encounters Empowering Living My Life Flirting That Girl

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“It's like, the more you commit, the happier the animators are; if you're at all iffy and concerned, then it doesn't free them up to do as much fun stuff, so you have to just go for it and, again, trust the people around you and not be seemingly guarded and numb. Throw caution to the wind a bit.”

People Ifs Fun Stuff Bits Wind Concerned Commit Caution Numb Guarded Animator Fun Stuff

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“What I enjoy so much about the Tonys' uniqueness is that anyone who's tuning in has an interest in seeing the show, so our job is halfway done.”

Done Shows Jobs Enjoy Interest Seeing Uniqueness Halfway Tuning

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“We're blessed on 'How I Met Your Mother' to feel like we're doing a bit of a funny playlet everyday.”

Feels Mother Bits Mets Blessed Everyday

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“The theater is reaching as many different demographics as it can now.”

Different Theater Reaching Demographics

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“I want to be able to infuse some youthful energy and comedy while appreciating the generations before.”

Want Able Energy Comedy Generations Appreciate

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“I'm lucky that people believe me when I'm in character.”

People Believe Character Lucky Believe In Me

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“What defines a relationship is the work that's involved to maintain it, and it's constantly changing.”

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“I think it has been a weird mistake to have people with their own music careers going on and judging people because when they're too critical, it affects them. They don't want to be that honest, because they need to keep their appearance up.”

People Thinking Want Needs Has Beens Mistake Careers Honest Judging Appearance Critical Judging People Music Career

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“I've gotten to hang out with Elmo, I'm the Fairy Shoeperson on 'Sesame Street'. So hopefully our kids will get to see and hear me as much as they're able.”

Kids Able Streets Hopefully Fairy Hanging Out Sesame Street Elmo

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

“I enjoy darker sardonic wit more than knock-knock jokes. I spent the first healthy chunk of my career playing all-American, pleasant, average, nice people, so it's fun to have some complications there.”

People Firsts Fun Enjoy Careers Nice Healthy Jokes Average Wit Pleasant Complication Chunks Nice People Sardonic

Author:Neil Patrick Harris

About the Author

Born: June 15, 1973
Known for: Actor
Quotes: 139

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