LOS ANGELES – Josh Radnor had sleepless nights while directing "happythankyoumoreplease," which he also stars in and wrote.
Sometimes he had to adopt a "fake it 'til you make it" mantra to hide his nerves.
The tactic worked because the movie is now playing in limited release.
"Happythankyoumoreplease" is the story of a group of young people in New York City who are trying to figure out their lives. The film also stars Pablo Schreiber, Kate Mara and Malin Akerman.
Radnor, 36, talks about his film and the CBS sitcom "How I Met Your Mother," which was just picked up for two more seasons. (He plays Ted Mosby on the show.)
The Associated Press: "Happythankyoumoreplease" had a great reception on the film festival circuit. (It won the Audience Award at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.) Did that give you confidence with your directorial debut?
Radnor: It made me feel like I had a right to be there. ...You're kind of like ... really? This ruse is continuing? ... If you're performing surgery, you have credentials. To be an actor, to be a director, even though I have an MFA in acting and I think training is supremely important, there was no reason that I should be directing this movie other than like it's a confidence game being like "sure, I can direct this movie," and they're like "really?" And you're like "yeah," and then they turn around and you're like "how am I going to direct this movie?" You know? But you put your poker face on and you do it.
AP: It sounds like a great learning experience.
Radnor: It was almost like drawing on everything I've ever learned in my life and not just about acting or directing. It was about interpersonal skills or just being a member or a leader or being a part of a community.
AP: Will we ever find out who the mother is on "How I Met Your Mother"?
Radnor: I don't know how they're going to do it. I always tell people it's better for me not to know. I'm playing the narrator as a younger person who doesn't know where all this is headed so my naivete about (the story) serves me.
AP: One of the best things about the show's writing are the inside jokes.
Radnor: It rewards your loyalty to it. Sometimes there's a joke that if you're just tuning in for the first time you wouldn't really know what the joke was but if you've stuck with the series for a while, it's really pleasing. The writers call back all these things. We don't always re-explain them. It's just these little things.
AP: Is there anything about the set that would surprise people?
Radnor: It's all on this big soundstage. You see Ted and Robin's apartment and then you walk 5 feet and you're like the bar is right here? It's all really close together. One thing that always astonishes me is they'll have Marshall and Lily's apartment in one episode and then you won't see it for three episodes and they'll build it and they'll take it down. They'll put it up and it looks amazing and then they'll take it down.
Copyright © 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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