HOW I Met Your Mother star Neil Patrick Harris has revealed that his real penis is visible in the hit film Gone Girl – but only for a second.
Viewers will no doubt remember the moment Ben Affleck bears it all in the movie – but turns out Neil actually did it first.
In Gone Girl, Neil, 51, plays Desi Collings, the former lover and friend of Amy (Rosamund Pike). She turns to him for support after going on the run in order to frame her husband for her murder.
The twisted psychological thriller throws a lot at the audience, so nudity is the least of it, but Neil still gets his moment in the spotlight.
When asked whether his penis is visible at all in the film by the Daily Beast, Neil confirmed that viewers can in fact see it, but only for a second.
Often actors use prosthetics when they are required to do nude scenes to protect their modesty. However, like Barry Keoghan in Saltburn, he opted to go au natural.
The blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment comes close to the end of the film during an intimate but gory scene with Amy.
Speaking about his nudity, Neil added: “Had I been able to film my scene in a nice steamy, warm shower, perhaps there would’ve been more to talk about.
“But in my particular circumstance, there was a lot of blood flowing…elsewhere.”
If you’ve seen Gone Girl, you’ll know the blood sex scene Harris is referring to.
After manipulating Desi into believing she is in danger, Amy seduces him before brutally slashing his throat with a hidden scalpel.
She kills him instantly and Desi’s blood pours out of his neck after he collapses on the bed. Amy stages the murder to make it look like self-defence, to fit her kidnap victim narrative.
Speaking about the scene, Neil admitted that it took a lot of technical work to make it so incredibly gory and yet quiet and eerie.
“David [Fincher, director] imagined that with a sharp knife, getting your throat slit, you wouldn’t feel any pain.
“So, he would make me show him what it would look like. Because it was also mid-orgasm, so it was ‘I’m about to, I’m about to, uh-uh-uh-uh’ [mimicking sex] and then it was this very gruesome, intentionally gruesome feeling of like calm, of confusion.
“Of, what’s, why’s everything warm? Op, why’s it red? And then, what?
Neil Patrick is a household name best known for playing the title character on Doogie Howser M.D. and Barney Stinson on How I Met Your Mother, but what are some of his other career highlights?
Former child star Neil Patrick Harris shot to fame in the late 1980s playing medical prodigy Doogie Howser.
In 1997, Neil launched his professional theatre career. His first role was in the musical Rent. He then later when on to play the creator of Rent Jonathan Larson in the musical of his life, Tick, Tick… BOOM! in London.
After than he enjoyed a busy TV and film career that included appearances in popular 90s and 00s shows like Blossom, Will & Grace – before taking on another iconic TV role.
How I Met Your Mother short Neil into stardom once more as he was introduced to a whole new generation of young viewers. His character Barney is widely believed to have the best character actor on the show, despite it revolving more around Ted’s (Josh Radnor) love life.
Neil’s 2010 Glee cameo was also a standout moment for the teen drama series. Neil appeared as Bryan Ryan in the episode Dream On.
After starring as Desi in Gone Girl and blind tutor Will in the movie Beastly, Neil took on a number of presenting jobs, notably hosting of annual Prime Time Emmy Award and Tony Award events, along with the 2015 Oscars.
From 2015 to 2017, Neil took the lead in another series. He played Count Olaf in Netflix‘s A Series of Unfortunate Events.
Neil also donned a very similar look as he guest starred in the BBC‘s Doctor Who 60th anniversary special.
He then made his return to the How I Met Your Mother universe, reprising his role as Barney in two episodes of Hilary Duff’s spin-off How I Met Your Father.
And in 2024, Neil returned to the world of Jonathan Larson, this time directing the stage revival of Tick, Tick… BOOM!
“And then you start blacking out because all of the blood that’s going to your brain is now going out your neck.”
The psychological thriller Gone Girl was released in 2014 and is based on Gillian Flynn’s novel of the same name.
Ben Affleck stars as Nick Dunne, a husband who becomes the prime suspect in the disappearance of his wife, Amy.
Amy goes missing on their fifth wedding anniversary and everyone thinks Nick had something to do with it.
When her diary entries are revealed, it makes things look even worse for Nick, after she opened up about her turbulent marriage and how Nick cheated on her.
However, the investigation takes a dark turn after it turns out that Amy faked her disappearance to frame Nick for her “murder,” as revenge.
Gone Girl is available to stream on Disney+.
