WATCH ABOVE: Neil Patrick Harris took some time out of rehearsing for his Just For Laughs production “Circus Awesomeus” to tell Global’s Rachel Lau about what to expect from his show.
MONTREAL – What does Neil Patrick Harris love most about being in Montreal right now?
“Being able to throw my stuff on the floor and not clean up,” he said with a laugh, joking that he should probably leave a bigger tip at the end of his hotel stay.
The 42-year-old star of screen and stage is in the city (without his husband David Burtka and their two children) to host the Just For Laughs closing gala, Circus Awesomeus — a project that’s been in the works for years.
“I missed Montreal,” said Harris, who met Just For Laughs executive Bruce Hills in 2012 when Harris was filming The Smurfs 2 in the city.
“I wanted to come back and hang out.”
Harris shot to fame as a teen doctor on Doogie Howser, M.D. and later became well known for his portrayal of the legen-(wait for it)-dary Barney Stinson in sitcom How I Met Your Mother and for playing a wilder version of himself in the Harold and Kumar movies.
Stand-up comedy, he said, is a whole other kind of beast.
“I love being thought of as being in the same world as these awesome stand-up comedians,” he said.
“That’s the real pressure, because I’m not really a stand-up comic.”
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Circus Awesomeus features Harris as a “ringmaster to a dazzling and hilarious cast of world class variety acts and comedians.”
In addition to the juggling, sword swallowing and magic, Harris said the show is unique.
“This is a proper variety show,” he told Global News.
“It’s also darker, I think, than most people will realize. It’s less stand-up and more stand up, jump up, spin.”
He said he’s looking forward to being in front of a Canadian audience.
“I think the Canadians have good senses of humour,” Harris said, adding the focus now is on making sure the show is technically flawless (there was someone singing “My Heart Will Go On” over and over on inside the Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier).
“They know what’s funny and they like funny things so I feel like that’s all covered.”
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Harris, a triple threat (he sings, dances and acts), isn’t new to the hosting gig.
He’s already hosted the Tonys, the Emmys and the Oscars — a big deal for any actor — but it’s the little things in life, he said, that are truly fulfilling.
“When I was younger, it seemed like there were only a few jobs you were supposed to go into, a few people you were supposed to be attracted to,” he said.
“I think the ‘supposed to’s’ are going away a little bit. As long as you’re passionate about something and you commit to that…that fulfilment is there.”
Circus Awesomeus takes place Monday and Tuesday. Just For Laughs has just released a new block of tickets.
rachel.lau@globalnews.ca
Follow @rachel_lau