Neil Patrick Harris

Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore

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It's been a "legendary" few years for Neil Patrick Harris. In addition to playing the Emmy-nominated role of Barney Stinson on How I Met Your Mother, the 37-year-old hosted the 2009 Tony and Emmy Awards, did guest stints on American Idol, Glee, Saturday Night Live and Live with Regis & Kelly, and acted in Joss Whedon's Internet sensation, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Although he's on summer hiatus from his CBS sitcom, he's certainly not on vacation. Besides directing a revival of Rent at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, he's busy promoting his latest film, Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, in which he voices Lou, the head canine honcho. Harris took a brief break from his busy schedule to chat with Time Out Kids about the flick, his love of magic and his role in 2011's The Smurfs.

Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore opens today. Can you tell us about the movie?
Well, I play Lou. He's the smart beagle that runs the operation. He's the head of the agency—the one that barks out orders. Pardon the dog pun! He's a family man, but he's a little harried—look, I'm doing another dog pun; I didn't even mean to!—because his kids come down to the agency one day. The dogs and cats have to join forces to defeat Kitty Galore [a former agent for cat spy organization MEOW]. To do so, my character has to rely on an old enemy named Tab Lazenby, played by Sir Roger Moore. It was great to hear his voice and match his intensity. Dealing with an ex–James Bond is always kind of touching.

Are you a dog or a cat person?
Well, we [Neil and partner David Burtka] have two dogs: a cairn terrier named Fred and a rescue dog, sort of a labradoodle-wheaten mixed-breed dog named Watson. Growing up, my family always had one of each, and whenever one would end up dying or running away, we'd get another one.

What message do you think families will take away from the movie?
Well, I haven't seen the whole thing yet—only clips of it. It's a very different experience when you do an animated movie. You go into a booth and you record your own part maybe five or six times over the period of a year and then the movie comes out. But I can only assume that the message is one of coming together and setting aside your differences, whatever they might be, for a good cause. That's a great lesson for kids to learn.

Do you like doing voiceover work?
I do. This is my second full-length animated film [the first was Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs]. I've done a lot of episodic stuff. I was the voice of Spider-Man in a video game. I did the Beverly Cleary audio books. Voiceover work is a very technical process. They've already filmed the visual, so you're just providing the audio for it. You have to be prepared to give them the spectrum of options—whether it be louder or more intense or more subtle.

Next summer you're starring in the big-screen adaptation of The Smurfs. We've seen it filming all over the city! What can you tell us about it?
Well, Jamya Mays [Glee, Ugly Betty] plays my wife and she's preggers. We're both stressed about how we'll be as parents. Well, I'm probably more stressed than she is that she has a duck in the oven, but that's sort of the story line as far as my character is concerned. I'm trying to prove to myself that I'll be a decent dad, and the Smurfs are able to help. Through a series of circumstances, they end up in our apartment. In trying to figure out how to get them back to Smurf Village, we inadvertently learn more about ourselves.

The Smurfs are such '80s icons. It must be exciting to be part of this film.
It was giant, and the Smurfs are going to be in 3D, which is really appropriate considering they are three apples tall and bright blue! It'll be pretty cool to watch.

Speaking of New York City, what are your favorite things to do when you're here?
I like the Central Park Zoo. It's sort of unexpected. Central Park in general is quite amazing to me because every half mile you go up, it's like a brand-new park. We live way up at the northern tip of Central Park. It's fantastic there, with hiking trails and waterfalls and swimming pools. I also just went to Coney Island and loved it. I'm a big circus sideshow guy and there's an amazing freak show that's pretty family-friendly—a fire-eater, a sword swallower. And the rides are great.

Over the years, you've performed in several Broadway productions (Proof, Assassins, Cabaret). Those weren't for kids, but what shows would you suggest for families?
That's a tricky question for me to answer because I've done and continue to do much darker musicals. I'd have to say . I saw it in London and thought it was great. The stagecraft is excellent and the new songs are terrific. My biggest recommendation when it comes to Broadway is to take your family to see shows. It's very important for kids to see live shows. Make an evening out of it and encourage everyone to dress up a bit. I think when you do, it makes it more memorable. When you see people who have waited in the TKTS line watching a big show and they have shorts on, it makes it feel like they're going to a movie. And I think theater is a much more precious experience.

We hear you're a big magic fan too. It seems like you do tricks on a lot of the shows you're in—How I Met Your Mother, Glee, etc.
My god. Yes! When writers are bored, they say, "And then Neil does some kind of magic trick." I think they just do that so they don't have to write anything [Laughs]. There's magic in Mary Poppins. That's probably why I liked it so much.

Right now, you're directing Rent in Los Angeles with Disney star Vanessa Hudgens as Mimi. What's it like working with her?
Vanessa's great; she's very committed to the role. It's a much more adult role than she's played in the past. I think she deserves the opportunity to show this other side of herself to audiences that have seen her play more traditional roles. I hope people come with an open mind and get to see the awesomeness that she provides.

You started out as a kid actor on Doogie Howser. Any advice for kids who want to break into the business?
Be prepared to (a) act like an adult at a really young age and (b) get a ridiculous amount of rejection. Whether you're an A-list movie star or trying out for community theater, you're not going to get most of your jobs. That's a hard thing for kids to process. I would suggest that if anyone is serious about it, they only do it because they are obsessed with it and that's all they want. They shouldn't become an actor because they like the attention or are seeking approval. Otherwise, they're going to be in for a lot of therapy later on in life [Laughs].

What's next on your agenda?
I don't know what will trump last year. I never could have imagined it would all be happening—I'm lucky. I'm directing Rent and then it's back to How I Met Your Mother. I'm just trying to reach as many demographics as I can through my work. I'm lucky that for every Harold & Kumar, I get to sub in for Regis Philbin. My brother has two kids and I'm the godparent of three. I like that they're able to go see some of the work I'm in. I've been very lucky that way.