Though best known at the moment as the actor on How I Met Your Mother who isn’t Jason Segal or Neil Patrick Harris (and I mean no slight by that), Josh Radnor has also directed (the 2010 Sundance film happythankyoumoreplease) and starred in films, including this year’s Sundance movie Liberal Arts, which he also wrote and directed.
In an interview with Moviefone, Radnor talks about how sitcom scheduling allows him plenty of time for film projects and memories of his first movie role.
Radnor explains that while How I Met Your Mother might end soon, he has gotten very used to the sitcom filming schedule. “We’re only contracted for one additional season after this season. And that would take us to eight… It’s a weird thing. Because I’ve kind of orientated the last seven years around being on the show. I know mid-August we start, we end early April. We have three weeks on, one week off every month. Two weeks for Thanksgiving. Three weeks for Christmas — you know what I mean? I kinda know the drill. And it put me on a schedule that I actually find really appealing. So I know how to budget my time and I know how much time I have to make a movie, if I can do that. I can travel. The ‘ups’ are a lot bigger than the ‘downs’ on this thing. But it has to be a full-cast decision. We all have to be on board.”
Radnor has certainly grown from his acting roots — his first film was the teenager film spoof Not Another Teen Movie, a role that he describes as “not particularly” fun. It was a quick process, pointing out, “It was two or three days. But it was my second time in L.A. and I met this casting director and he’s like, ‘I’ve got this small part in this movie. Come in and read for it.’ I came in and I had the offer the next day. It was suddenly weird. I came to L.A. and I did a pilot, this movie and then I went back to New York. And, you know, it stuck around. It has its fans.” Nonetheless, despite his obvious, well, lack of thrill about the movie, he admits it was a great experience for a beginner, saying, “It was a good fun part. I had never been on a movie set, so it was really weird to be thrown in like that. Trial by fire.”
It was recently announced that Liberal Arts was picked up for distribution by IFC films, and should have a release later this year. Based on it’s positive reception at Sundance, perhaps Radnor should start preparing himself for the fame enjoyed by his How I Met Your Mother co-stars.
