Neil Patrick Harris: There's 'something sexy' about straight actors playing a gay character

Neil Patrick Harris does not focus on sexual preferences when he is offered a role.

Speaking to The Times in a recent interview, fan-favorite Neil aka Barney Stinson from How I Met Your Mother, says it is the character that is important, not the gender.

The star, who is currently starring in It's a Sin, says there is no shame in a straight actor playing gay roles.

"I'm not one to jump on to labeling," the actor, who is openly gay, shared. "As an actor you certainly hope you can be a visible option for all kinds of different roles. I played a character [in How I Met Your Mother] for nine years who was nothing like me."

It's a Sin is a story of a group of young gay men living through the AIDS crisis in 1980s England. The Russell T Davies' miniseries, is releasing this year on Channel 4.