Neil Patrick Harris shows a side of himself we haven’t seen before.
In Darren Star and Jeffrey Richman’s new Netflix series “Uncoupled,” Harris plays Michael, a gay New York real estate agent, and his partner of 17 years Colin (Tucker Watkins) leaves him.
As Michael starts dating again, a story of love, heartbreak, middle age, and unexpected sexual encounters unfolds.
Harris can be seen in various states of undressing. In fact, the actor had his first on-camera gay sex scene in “Uncoupled” with “Sex and the City” film alum Gilles Marini.
“We did make out in the first scene, and then in between takes, he said, ‘Oh, is this true? Is what they said true?’” recalls Harris. “I said, ‘What did they say?’ He went on to say, ‘I heard kissing another man is better than kissing a woman, and I get it now. What they said was true. My knees bent and I was like, ‘Oh my God, thank you so much.’”
The cast also includes Tisha Campbell, who plays Michael’s best friend and business partner, as well as Emerson Brooks, Brooks Ashmanskas, and Marcia Gay Harden. Tony title legend Andre De Shields appears as Michael’s neighbor Jack.
For this week’s “Just for Variety” podcast, I sat down with Harris at Netflix’s offices in New York City, just hours before he walked the red carpet for his world premiere at the Paris Theater.
Here are some highlights:
about family life
Harris said he wasn’t looking for more work when he was offered “decoupling” as he was trying to spend more time with his 11-year-old twins Harper and his husband David Burtka. Gideon is together. Shooting in New York helped seal the deal.
“I just want to be able to prioritize the next five or six years before they go to college,” Harris said. “I knew even before that they were going to want more independence and not want to spend it with us, that’s for sure. I don’t want to go to Atlanta to shoot for six weeks, then take a week off, then go to Toronto to shoot, I’ve been doing so.”
“Sex education
Darren Star may have created “Sex and the City,” but Harris said he’s not as familiar with HBO’s hit series as one might think.
“It’s like I don’t know the ‘Golden Girl,’” Harris admits. “Like I didn’t know Barbra Streisand. My homosexuality started with ‘Into the Woods,’ ‘Les Miserables,’ and the musical. It didn’t really start with Judy Garland.”
naked truth
Harris said he wasn’t too concerned about his nude scene on “Uncoupled.”
“I do feel more comfortable now than I did five years ago,” he said.
Oscar Shorts
Harris recalls stripping off her underwear while hosting the Oscars in 2015.
“I seem to have chosen to do it, and at the time I thought it was funny,” he said. “Then I realized it was just a picture people were using when they were talking about me as an Oscar host, and I wore a really nice suit. I had a really nice wardrobe.”
Harris had to wear two pairs of tights. Just a pair of “bright lights shining directly on it, and you kind of see through it.”
Picture perfect
When it came time to find a photo of Michael’s private parts on the gay hookup app Grindr, he considered an image of a dildo.
“I said, ‘Why don’t we find a good photo online?’” Harris said, adding, “I have to be humble about that. It’s a little bit insecure because you don’t want to choose a huge dong because that is Like its own meta-weird joke. You don’t want to pick a little hole because that’s its own weird joke. [We needed] Normal, average-sized stuff. But in a later scene, the guy says it’s a beautiful penis. So it has to be nice. I have no idea. It’s weird to make a choice. ”
true story
In one scene, Michael engages with a dermatologist who recommends injecting Botox in his butt to make anal sex more comfortable.
“I laughed so hard when they just told me this storyline was in the works,” Harris said. “I said exactly what you said, ‘Is that a thing?’ Apparently, it is. I hope we don’t make it into something bigger.”
For the record, Richman spoke on the matter at the premiere, sharing that most—if not all—connections were inspired by real-life experiences talked about in the writers’ room.
“Doctor” note
Harris recently filmed the new season of Doctor Who in Wales. Showrunner Russell T Davis offered him a role after they co-produced “It’s a Sin” on HBO Max’s limited series about the early days of the AIDS epidemic. ‘Sex Education’ star Ncuti Gatwa will debut as the doctor’s new incarnation.
“I got to meet him and interact with him, he’s honorable,” Harris said of Gatwa. “He’s going to be the first gay doctor, and it’s going to be a super cool, sexier doctor.”
“Uncoupling” is now available on Netflix.
You can listen to the full interview with Harris above. You can also find “Just for Variety” anywhere you download your favorite podcasts.
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