Exclusive: Neil Patrick Harris is Out's man's man of the month

Photography by Nino Muñoz

Out's deputy editor Bill Keith on this month's cover interview with Neil Patrick Harris:

After a year of chasing down Neil Patrick Harris' hectic schedule -- filming his twice Emmy-nominated role as Barney on How I Met Your Mother, a Harold & Kumar sequel, guesting on Sesame Street, starring in a series of Old Spice ads and the recently released and wildly popular Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, the Joss Whedon-created straight-to-web musical -- I was finally able to convince him to grab a Bud and a burger with me here in New York. (Fine, we had a few Stellas and some hummus at Moroccan cafe.)

Before he took off on a European vacation with his boyfriend, David, he also took some time out to shoot a Steve McQueen-inspired shoot in Williamsburg -- and never once bitched about the leather pants we made him wear in the 95-degree Brooklyn heat.

The result of our hour-plus conversation was a free-wheeling and open conversation about the route he's taken to get where he is:

Did growing up in Hollywood make it easier or harder for you to come out?
I think it was harder. Actually, I think it was easier for me, because I was around a lot of people who were gay and I was around a lot of people who were very confident. I was surrounded by people I could talk to freely about anything, and they were very successful emotionally and otherwise.

And yet...
And yet, part of the coming-out process is figuring out who you like and what that means and how to act upon it. Being an actor reduced my level of anonymity. I couldn't just go to some bar and walk in and ask someone out on a date, because there was too much awareness of me. So it made it more difficult in that sense. I couldn't be, like, "Maybe I like this kind of guy" or "Maybe I'm into this" -- I couldn't really experiment. I sort of had to narrow my gaze from afar. If I had any regret, it would be that strange lack of anonymity that created panic within myself that I would be found out. But I think that's everyone's big fear.

He only asked me to turn off my recorder twice, and that gossip is just between NPH and me -- and the crazy lady at the table next to us who did an incredibly poor job of pretending she wasn't hanging on our every word.

Read the full interview at Out.com.

-- BILL KEITH

The issue hits newsstands August 8, but watch Popnography and Out.com all week for all your NPH needs.

Previously > Harold & Kumar 3? > Shoe fairy! > Dr. Horrible! > Old Spice! > Emmy! > HIMYM!

Comments

[Doug Johnson,]

I had heard on the radio that Lindsay Lohan and Samantha are getting married. Did I miss it in Popnog or is it false?