Barney Stinson… Come On Down!
In the Spring of 2007, the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother taped an episode at The Price Is Right to celebrate Mr. Barker’s 50th. year on television. The HIMYM episode is titled Show Down. The premise of the episode was that Barney Stinson thought Bob Barker was the long-lost father that he never met. Both Bob and I appeared on the episode and I still get a monthly residual check for my participation.
Residual checks are paid to actors who have appeared in any union-produced television show. When the episode replays in syndication on television, plays on an airline flight, plays in a foreign market, or anywhere else, the actor is compensated for that replay. It’s always nice to open the mailbox and find a check that you weren’t expecting. Thousands of Hollywood actors pay their bills and count on those residual checks each month.
The photo of Neil Patrick Harris and I was taken on Stage 33 of TPIR while we were waiting for camera blocking to be completed. Neil was an absolute pro. He knew every one of his lines by heart and never once looked at the printed script which he had folded up and stuck into his rear pants pocket, under his sport coat.
It was a day that I will never forget. Look for the How I Met Your Mother episode “Show Down” on your channel guide and record it. I guarantee that you will enjoy it.
