Jason LaVeris/FilmMagicThere are no small parts, just small...misunderstandings.
Just ask Neil Patrick Harris, who called actor Eric Braeden a "D-bag" on Twitter last night.
The exact tweet read, "Eric Braeden is a D-Bag. the actor, (Robin's dad) agreed to a cameo, then last night bailed, saying the part wasn't 'substantial' enough."
The Young and the Restless actor was slated to appear on the CBS sitcom, How I Met Your Mother, but decided to ditch the gig after seeing the size of the role.
And it didn't take long for the name-calling tweet to reach Braeden, who turned to Entertainment Weekly to share his thoughts on it.
"I really don't know who that fellow is. He's a guy who stars in that series," Braeden told EW. "It's very unfortunate. First of all, I came back from hip surgery. I was off for three weeks. I've doubled my work, 30 to 50 pages a day for me, alone. Everyone knows that I'm exhausted. I was not about to appear on a show for two lines, because that's what it amounted to."
Braeden, who said he "truly enjoyed" his previous outing on the show, had a few words of his own for Harris.
"His choice of words bothered me," Braeden added. "It seems to me like a young whippersnapper, having seen himself on a few covers, who's received a few awards, is now suddenly suffering from the first signs of hubris. I've been in the business for 50 years. I've seen people come and go and I'm still here."
But Braeden ultimately laughed off the whole situation. "If he is a worthy adversary, he'd better not cross my path. I will let bygones be bygones."
NPH, for his part, tweeted again three hours later, "Now I feel bad for the D-bag comment. Don't know the guy personally. I'm just fiercely protective of our show."
Maybe it was just those new parental instincts kicking in.
The celeb also announced that the role of Robin's dad has been re-cast by Ray Wise, "a fantastic actor who makes any part ‘substantial'. Super excited to welcome him to the family."
(Originally published Dec. 18, 2010 at 10:43 PT)