In the original Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle Credit: New Line Cinema

TV's Barney on "How I Met Your Mother" pops up occasionally on other shows and the big screen. He was in the first Starship Troopers for example. Neil Patrick Harris admits he got a kick out of playing an altered version of himself in Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle a few years ago and his horn-dog-prowling-the-highways character in that film has reached cult status after tons of internet and DVD rentals. Now, an even more flamboyant and strange version of Neil appears on the road again in the big screen sequel Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (warning: very, very R-rated).

The actor appeared for our Beverly Hills interview in casual jeans and nice black dress shirt. No fancy Barney suits in his off time, evidently. So, why does talented Neil let the Harold and Kumar folks go crazy with his persona? He has a blast! Let's let the cute actor tell us all about it...

TeenHollywood: You aren't in your "Barney" spiffy suit today.

Neil: Hey, this is 'Harold and Kumar' time. [referring to the black shirt] Dark. Dark Knight.

TeenHollywood: Was this sequel fun for you?

Neil: Wildly fun. I was very excited. It's like a Christmas present. I heard I was going to be in this and I got to download the script and then open it up and see what I got to do and how it played out. And I was pleased, very pleased.