How I Met Your Mother is still one of the funniest shows on Hulu, even over 10 years after the hit CBS sitcom's conclusion. And, despite the very controversial series finale, it’s still a favorite among many fans. Between the jokes, characters, storylines, and more, there are many reasons why HIMYM is perfect for a long binge. Plenty of intriguing BTS details have been revealed in recent years as well and, now, Cobie Smulders is explaining why she used to whisper inappropriate things to Josh Radnor before shooting scenes that were more risqué.
Smulders appeared on the rewatch podcast How We Made Your Mother, which is hosted by Radnor and HIMYM co-creator Craig Thomas. Longtime fans of the show surely know that Ted and Robin had a very special relationship and that they even revealed to be endgame during the closing moments of the series finale. Amid the discussion, Smulders dished on the funny, private moments she would share with Radnor from time to time while filming intimate scenes. These may sound wild, but they were apparently helpful:
Josh and I had quite a few intimate scenes, and so I would try to, as much as humanly possible, before we would roll, I would try to whisper something to Josh that was just extremely inappropriate.
Not only could whispering inappropriate things set the mood, but it could also help ease the tension. I'd imagine that it helps to have a great scene partner. Good guy Ted and Robin share a lot of scenes together, so it would make sense that Radnor and Smulders would want to find a way to be comfortable with each other. During the podcast interview, Smulders elaborated more on what it’s like preparing to film an intimate scene, and she couldn’t help but give Radnor credit as well:
We have something in acting called 'the moment before,' which is typically used in an audition to get your sort of, you have to land as soon as they roll, there's been a whole life, so you have to create this moment before. So I felt, as a good scene partner, I should lay out what the moment before was. And typically, it was what we just did. And usually it was sexual.
Based on accounts shared by actors, intimate scenes can be tricky to perform, hence the presence of intimacy coordinators on sets to ensure that scenes are performed accurately and comfortably. When it comes to Cobie Smulders, she simply wants to make sure that everyone she acts with is comfortable. When it came to Smulders' on-screen relationship with Radnor, their connection was evident from the beginning, which is why it was easy to get comfortable with him. Smulders continued:
I’m a giving actor. I feel like I'm an amazing scene partner, and I'm just thinking about the other person and making sure that they're comfortable, making sure that there's a connection there. And so I would just sort of set us up before we actually started the scene in our speaking roles, just with like, 'This is what just transpired between us.' And usually Josh would not be able to say anything, and his face would turn that color for those who are watching…If you’re listening, his face is red.
Craig Thomas eventually asked for an example of what the two actors would talk about before executing an intimate scene amid all the laughter. However, Josh Radnor refused, and Cobie Smulders said to think about the “worst possible thing,” and that’s what it was like. Radnor ultimately gave in and actually told a story about Neil Patrick Harris whispering something disgusting to him but admitted that he is “nothing compared to the depravity” that Smulders laid out:
She would time it in such a way that she would finish saying [something], she would stick the landing, and they would say 'action,' and would just, I couldn't speak. They're fond memories, but I also was immobilized by Cobie's visionary. You could monetize this in some way, Cobie, like if acting stops, you know what I'm saying? I think you could write just the filthiest romance novels.
Unfortunately, fans will just have to imagine the kind of tidbits Smulders would tell Radnor prior to filming their intimate scenes. I get the feeling it was all relatively NSFW, though, which honestly makes all of this even funnier. As wild as the scenarios may have been back then, Radnor now praises his co-star for her way with words:
I'm telling you, you have a real talent for spinning the dirtiest webs of narrative that I’ve ever – it was always shocking to me. Delightful in its own way.
Whether or not Smulders eventually confesses what she would say to Radnor is unknown, but I love that it’s basically just an inside joke between the two of them now. Oh, to have been a fly on the wall to hear those humorously dirty comments.
How I Met Your Mother, which is one of the best sitcoms of all time, is available to stream in its entirety with a Netflix subscription.
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