Josh Radnor: the ‘happythankyoumoreplease’ Sundance sit-down

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Regarding life as a writer-director-star, Josh Radnor seems to be adjusting quite well, thank you.

‘I go back and forth between manic panic and total euphoria,’ the ‘How I Met Your Mother’ actor told me about his work on ‘happythankyoumoreplease,’ a film that’s a series of interwoven stories about friends in their 30s adjusting to adult life.

‘I wanted to create a great acting opportunity for myself,’ he explained as we sat down in Park City, Utah. The stories came together -- one in which an unassuming subway rider finds himself in charge of an abandoned boy, one about a woman living with alopecia, another about a couple coming to terms with their bond. The flick’s biggest audience to date has been a 40-person screening. At this weekend’s Sundance Film Festival, it will play to around 1,250. ‘I have no reference point for this kind of excitement,’ he said. ‘I’m just excited for people to see the movie.’ Note to ‘HIMYM’ fans: It doesn’t look as if he’s bailing from that prime-time staple any time soon.

‘I’m not the kind of actor that’s restless for more work all the time. We shoot nine months a year, so with four months without acting, I’m happy to travel around and write books and films and ... have new experiences,’ Radnor said. And yes, he’s landed a deal and is already editing his first book. ‘It’s a sort of memoir, about some things I’ve learned in the past couple of years that don’t have to do with work.’ Such as? ‘I’m being a little cryptic.’ Indeed.

‘How I Met Your Mother,’ however, brings plenty of levity to Radnor’s world. The show, which celebrates its 100th episode this month, will soon see a visit from Carrie Underwood.

‘She’s fantastic, what they call a ‘natural,’’ Radnor raved. Given the multi-hyphenates he’s accumulating, perhaps he could be accused of the same. More, please. -- Matt Donnelly

Donnelly is scoping the scene at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. Check out related coverage:

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