Neil Patrick Harris: Up and Out

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: I guess then in terms of you being very happy on the show — it leads to the announcement of your sexual preference. You came out in November. How is that changing the roles that are coming your way? Is it?
NEIL PATRICK HARRIS: No. I'm not being thrown roles any time, ever, really. Because I'm working on the show so much.

I just assumed you had a stack of tie-wearing womanizing a--hole scripts...
And now I look at the pile and it's empty and there's just crickets?

Yeah.
No, things are cool. The fact that all that was under incredible Internet scrutiny was interesting to observe as a third person. To watch it manifest itself in truth and lies and see where it went and what people were saying was very interesting. But I was appreciative of it being sort of a non-story. People were either like ''Eh,'' or they were like, ''Oh really? Eh.'' So it hasn't really changed much work-wise. My life is almost drama-free.

Did you feel like you were forced to do something?
I'm an actor, playing roles. And the less you know about me, the more you'll believe who I'm playing. So, I had a vested interest to not talk a lot about my personal life, and I still won't. I think I'm allowed to sort of stand taller now in my personal life, just because I'm not constantly kind of wondering if people are murmuring. I just honestly feel like I'm not a very scandalous person. I'm a professional actor. That's my job. I don't aspire for celebrity. I aspire for job security. Does that make sense?

It does. But you say job security... are the executives still worried about this s---?
I can't speak to the executives. They keep hiring me for jobs, and all I can do is represent myself well. Who you end up falling in love with is a personal decision. And how you choose to let that unfold is entirely up to you.

But do you think there's a double standard between the way they let straight actors play gay roles but can't accept gay actors as straight?
No. I think gay actors play straight roles all the time. But there is certainly an understood fantasy of an audience wanting to watch someone and think that they could have a chance with them. That's why I think the less you know, the better. Honestly.

Are you in a relationship?
Yes.

Is it one that's lasted through this whole thing, or one that's happened since?
With that, I'd definitely stick to: I don't like to talk about my private life.

Are you happy?
Very. Couldn't be more happy.

Did you in fact get a dog when you moved out here?
Yes! We have two dogs. A Cairn terrier named Fred, and a Labradoodle-ish white dog named Watson. And they are the most adorable and loving things you'll ever meet in your life.

How much longer do you want to be in the biz?
I think I'll make a shift to directing in the next five years. Which is like the greatest job ever. Because you're helming a ship, you know? You get to have script meetings, you get to write stuff, you get to have pre-production, you get to be in the casting room, you get to edit it, you get to screen it... it's a much bigger project.

Do you have dream projects that you want to direct?
You know what one of mine was? The Prestige. I found that book at like an old magic convention, and I read it and I thought, This is amazing! 'Cause I'm obsessed with the stage magicians from the turn of the century. But I knew it was a period piece about stage magicians at the turn of the century. You could never make it, unless you were someone as kickass as Christopher Nolan. So when I heard he was doing it, I was like, Damn that guy! He's perfect! I loved it, it was great.

Barney is certainly mysterious.
There's a lot of mystery in him. And he'll do magic. He'll make a dove appear. Just don't ask for more.

Will Arnett kind of cornered the magic market on Arrested Development, though.
I know!!! As much as I love that show I was thrilled when it was cancelled so that I could be the only guy doing magic on TV. That was a great show. That's a show that makes you want to do TV. You get to be this hilarious person and they keep writing new stuff for you. I'm like a wicked fun standup comic, but I don't have to come up with my own material. And then next week, Friday comes around, and I get a new script and it's like, Oh, look what I get to do this week! It does not suck.