Neil Patrick Harris says his angry inch cursed out a fan, not him.
The Broadway star for “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” had a run-in with an audience member during Saturday’s performance. But what was reported as Harris lashing out at the attendee is not accurate.
“The response to the fan yelling was actually done in character,” his rep told Gossip Cop. “Neil as Hedwig, (it’s) not as though Neil stopped the show to respond out of character.”
His rep continued, adding, “When the fan initially yelled, ‘I love you, Neil,’ Neil (as Hedwig) then responded, ‘Who’s Neil? I’m not Neil.’ He then looked over at Yitzhak (played by Lena Hall) and said, ‘Are you Neil? You better not be Neil.'”
“It seems my Hedwig improvs are making news, but one should have the full story/context,” the 40-year-old “How I Met Your Mother” actor tweeted Sunday.
Fans that know the production well understand that the musical about a transgender German punk rocker is centered on improvisation and audience interaction. Harris was supposedly attempting to turn the attendee’s yell of admiration into a part of the show.
“It was all done in good fun and fully in the context of the show,” his rep added about the play that officially opens April 22. “The audience went crazy and it really was a lighthearted moment, which is not being properly contextualized in any of these various posts.”
