Neil Patrick Harris had to repeat “How I Met Your Mother” almost 80 times

The success of How I Met Your Mother is partly due to an adorable cast that also includes Josh Radnor as Ted Mosby, Jason Segel as Marshall Eriksen, Alyson Hannigan as Lily Aldrin and Cobie Smulders as Robin Scherbatsky. Still, Barney Stinson is one of the funniest characters on the show, but as it turns out, Neil Patrick Harris is just as funny off-screen. When a fan asked what made series creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas laugh the most on set, one moment immediately came to mind. Via Reddit AMABays and Thomas recalled how Harris kept the crew on their toes during the filming of the Season 4 episode.

“Blink at the first question: different readings of the NPH phrase: “You think I can’t talk myself out of a ticket?” in “As fast as she can,” Bays recalled. “We made him repeat this phrase about eighty times, and each time it was different and funny. I think only three of them made it into the episode, which, looking back, was a shame. This phrase could last as long as 22 minutes. “

While there are other storylines in this installment, the icing on the cake is Stinson’s desperate attempts to stop only to prove he can avoid a speeding ticket. No wonder Bays and Thomas have such fond memories of the creation of this scene.