‘How I Met Your Father’ EP Worried John Corbett’s Casting Would Be Too ‘Weird’ for Hilary Duff — Here’s Why
How I Met Your Father Season 2 features a handful of guest stars, including Meghan Trainor, Mark Consuelos, and John Corbett. As fans saw in the Hulu show’s season 2 trailer, Hilary Duff’s Sophie will start a May-December romance with Corbett’s character. In a recent interview, HIMYF writer and EP Elizabeth Berger revealed how Corbett ended up in the role — and why she was initially worried it would be too “weird” for Duff.
‘How I Met Your Father’ was a reunion for John Corbett, Hilary Duff, and Kim Cattrall
Almost 10 years before Corbett, 61, and Duff, 35, paired up for How I Met Your Father, the two worked together on the teen film Raise Your Voice. Duff played a small-town teen who moved to Los Angeles to spend her summer at a performing arts school, while Corbett played her teacher.
But Duff wasn’t the only familiar face on the set of HIMYF. Kim Cattrall, who plays Future Sophie, also worked with Corbett on Sex and the City. He played Aidan, the love interest of Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie Bradshaw. Corbett is set to reprise his role in the Sex and the City revival, And Just Like That…
If you didn’t see Corbett in either of these roles, perhaps you’ll recognize him from some of his other famous projects. He starred in several hit rom-coms, including Serendipity, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Raising Helen, and the To All the Boys film series. Corbett has also appeared in various TV shows, including Northern Exposure, Lucky, and Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll.
‘HIMYF’ writer Elizabeth Berger revealed how John Corbett joined the cast in season 2
According to Berger, Corbett’s connections to the How I Met Your Father stars didn’t factor into his casting decision, at least not at first.
“Honestly, we started from a place of who would be the most fun for the role and you know, we were, as we always do, batting around ideas with the writers,” the EP told TVLine. “And then the idea of Corbett came up, and we all just thought that was so exciting.”
Then, the casting team realized Corbett had worked with Duff “a million years ago.” Berger said she and the team initially worried it would be “weird” to cast Corbett as a love interest for Duff’s character because he played once her teacher. However, they decided it wouldn’t be an issue.
“It’s awesome. Hilary’s a grown woman now and everyone can handle it,” Berger added.
Thankfully, Duff doesn’t seem phased by her history with Corbett. She talked about it recently on Late Night With Seth Meyers, noting that she and Corbett were “cool.”
John Corbett’s role in ‘How I Met Your Father’ could come with a big twist
How I Met Your Father Season 2 premiered on Jan. 24. Corbett did not appear in the first episode, but he’s set to appear in the coming weeks. And Corbett’s role could come with a twist. At the end of episode 1, a flash-forward reveals Sophie frantically calling her mom, saying, “I think I’m dating my dad.” Perhaps that May-December romance is weird after all.
New episodes of How I Met Your Father drop every Tuesday on Hulu. Check out the release schedule for more details.
