Neil Patrick Harris' Surprising Childhood Nickname (and 4 Other Facts)
The charismatic star of stage, screen, and tube, whose Netflix show Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events debuts January 13, fills in a few blanks.
Photo: Aaron Lippman/Netflix
The first thing I do when I get home is... give my kids bear hugs. We live in a brownstone with lots of stairs that they like to catapult off of. We are a very circusy family, so there's a lot of jumping from afar and assuming I'll catch them.
My childhood nickname was... Killer. Well, it was my nickname when I played soccer. I was the goalie and I was very aggressive. I didn't mind getting hit in the head with the ball or tackling. I was small for my age, but I was not shy.
My go-to karaoke song is... either "Rocket Man" or "Levon" by Elton John. Those are both good ones because they're story-based songs—and they're not so long that the audience wants you to sit down already. I like any anthem, so halfway through I can go "Everybody!" and hold the microphone out to the audience.
My biggest pet peeve is... overusing the word like. I'm a big fan of the English language, and I believe people have the opportunity to be as descriptive as possible when they're explaining themselves. To just say "I went to school and was like, ‘Wow,' and the teacher was like, 'Don't do that,'" isn't enough. But I don't scold people out loud—I shake my fist at them in my mind.
If I weren't an actor, I would've ended up... being a puppeteer. Although I guess that's just a hand actor.
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My childhood nickname was... Killer. Well, it was my nickname when I played soccer. I was the goalie and I was very aggressive. I didn't mind getting hit in the head with the ball or tackling. I was small for my age, but I was not shy.
My go-to karaoke song is... either "Rocket Man" or "Levon" by Elton John. Those are both good ones because they're story-based songs—and they're not so long that the audience wants you to sit down already. I like any anthem, so halfway through I can go "Everybody!" and hold the microphone out to the audience.
My biggest pet peeve is... overusing the word like. I'm a big fan of the English language, and I believe people have the opportunity to be as descriptive as possible when they're explaining themselves. To just say "I went to school and was like, ‘Wow,' and the teacher was like, 'Don't do that,'" isn't enough. But I don't scold people out loud—I shake my fist at them in my mind.
If I weren't an actor, I would've ended up... being a puppeteer. Although I guess that's just a hand actor.
Want more stories like this delivered to your inbox? Sign up for the Live Your Best Life Newsletter!
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