March 19, 2008 (New York, NY) — When the cast and crew of CBS’ How I Met Your Mother were informed that Britney Spears was slated to do a guest stint on the show, no one knew what to expect.. “I kept saying, ‘You’re serious? She’s going to do it? She’s not going to back out?'” Mother costar Neil Patrick Harris (Barney) says in this week’s cover story of TV Guide magazine (March 24 issue; on newsstands March 19). Spears not only showed up on time for her first day of work, but she was early–and by accounts a consummate professional; there were no outbursts or diva antics or outrageous demands.
“She’s friendly, shows up on time, knows all her lines, nails all of her jokes,” says Josh Radnor (Ted) who appears alongside Spears in an exclusive photograph on the magazine’s cover. “The only thing scandalous about all of this is how nonscandalous it is.”
In the March 24 episode, Spears plays Abby, a nerdy receptionist who falls for Ted when he visits a dermatologist (Sarah Chalke) to have his embarrassing tattoo removed. But the role almost went to another actress–Charlyne Yi, who played a nerdy stoner in Knocked up opposite Mother costar Jason Segel.
Fortunately for Spears, Yi wasn’t available and show creator Craig Thomas and cocreator Carter Bays got word from Spears’ agent that she was interested in seeing the script at dinner that evening. “We thought it was a prank!” Thomas says. They hadn’t even finished writing the episode, but rushed it along. “At 6:30, we hit ‘print,'” says Thomas. They found out at lunchtime the next day that Spears definitely wanted to play Abby.
“She wanted to work on her acting chops and play a specific comedic role,” says Thomas. According to Thomas, Spears quickly fit right in with the rest of the gang. “She seemed nervous at first,” he says. “[But] when she started getting laugh she started having a good time. We don’t have a high-pressure environment. We don’t shoot in front of a live studio audience so we can do as many takes as we want. I think that atmosphere really appealed to her and she felt comfortable.”
Cast members were impressed. “Her improvs were really good,” Segal (Marshall) told TV Guide at the show’s wrap party. “Sometimes at table reads you play around with lines and try different things. She came up with stuff that had everyone laughing. She’s definitely a comedian.”
“She was so funny and she already had her character down pat,” adds Alyson Hannigan (Lily). “I had no idea she had such great comic timing.”
Both Spears’ mom, Lynne, and dad, James, visited the set and Hannigan helped play hostess. “I was checking in on Britney all the time,” she says. “And I felt very protective of her, and I wanted to make sure she was happy and comfortable.”
Looks like it worked. “I’m having a blast,” Spears said in a statement. “Working at How I Met Your Mother has been so terrific. Everyone has been wonderful.”
