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How Neil Patrick Harris Really Feels About Becoming a Dad to Teenagers

By Paige Strout Jun 16, 2022 8:49 PMTags

Already an accomplished actor, singer, writer and host, Neil Patrick Harris will soon take on his toughest role yet: becoming a dad to teenagers.

"You spend a lot of time with kids as parents, trying to instill values and humor and agency with them," he exclusively told E! News' Daily Pop on June 16. "Now that they're older and they don't like you anymore, you can sort of see how that plays out."

Neil welcomed twins Harper and Gideon Burtka-Harris with husband David Burtka in 2010. Now, the siblings are inching closer and closer to teenagerhood. "They will be 12 years old in October, which will be their golden birthday," Neil said before jokingly adding, "which means they'll want some big-ass party."

Currently on-location for his latest project in Cardiff, Wales, Neil won't get to spend this Father's Day in person with his family, but he did share some of his best fatherly advice with Daily Pop's Justin Sylvester and Loni Love.

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"I really, firmly believe in karma," the How I Met Your Mother alum shared. "I tell my kids a lot, 'You have opportunities to make good or not-so-good choices. Hold the door open for someone, not because you want something good to happen to you, but because the person has bags in their hands, and you want to be a nice person.'"

When he's not away filming, Neil and his family enjoy playing video games together, especially Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain. Neil even partnered with Nintendo for the game's release in December 2021.

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"We can all play together at our own levels, different mini-games, which is awesome," he said. "I love it. It's a good way to keep us together as a family and play awesome games. And learn, it's educational."

While beating Harper and Gideon at video games can be tough, Neil revealed that it wasn't tough to prepare for NSFW scenes on his new Netflix series Uncoupled, which premieres July 29.

"I'm far from modest," he joked. "I was Hedwig on stage where I was not only almost completely naked but tucked. So, I've shown almost everything."

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The show follows Neil as real estate agent Michael, who's looking for a new start after his longtime partner leaves him. "You're also dealing with a guy who's 47, 48 years old who is now on Grindr for the first time and has no idea what that means," said Neil, "It's naked in more than one way. Emotionally, but also, quite physically."

Check out the full interview above.

Uncoupled premieres on Netflix July 29.

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