How I Met Your Mother star Josh Radnor anchored the CBS sitcom for nine seasons as the unlucky-in-love
Ted Mosby, working his way into viewers' hearts with his adorable smiles, constant optimism,
and pretentious pronunciation skills.
"Oh you think it should be pronounced encyclopedia?
It's a common mistake, but if you look at the squished together A-E symbol in this here encyclopedia,
you'll learn that it's a ligature derived from the Anglo-Saxon rune…"
However, since the hit show ended in 2013, Radnor has been noticeably missing from the
limelight.
Since so many people loved his character on the series, everyone wants to know why he
hasn't been in another other high-profile projects, so let's explore why Hollywood won't cast
Josh Radnor anymore.
MIA at the movies
Radnor didn't have very many credits to his name before getting cast as the lead in How
I Met Your Mother.
Aside from a small appearance in Not Another Teen Movie, he'd only had guest appearances
on various TV shows.
How I Met Your Mother launched him to stardom, and his most notable role since then has been
in the TV sphere, as Dr. Jed Foster on PBS' Mercy Street.
In other words, Radnor just hasn't shown that he can anchor a film yet, which could make
studios wary of casting him and risking poor box office returns.
Ted Mosby Eternal
It's often tough for actors who spent a long time playing one part to shed that identity.
To many viewers, Sarah Michelle Gellar will always be Buffy, Daniel Radcliffe will always
be Harry Potter, and Josh Radnor will always be Ted Mosby.
This can make it difficult for actors to move on from career-defining characters and can
make it hard for casting directors to see them in potential roles.
Just ask Mark Hamill…
Looking for love
Like Ted Mosby, Radnor has ALSO been trying his best to find Mrs. Right in real life.
"If you're looking for the word that means caring about someone beyond all rationality
and wanting to have everything they want no matter how much it destroys you…
It's love."
He hasn't married or made mysterious-mothered children with anyone yet, but there have been
plenty of rumors surrounding his partners.
Radnor split with actress Lindsay Price, whom he met on the set of How I Met Your Mother,
after a year of dating in 2009.
He was linked to Twilight actress Julia Jones in 2013 and later dated actress Marisa Tomei
in 2014.
After that, reports say that he's dating Friday Night Lights beauty Minka Kelly.
If we learned anything from Ted, it's that finding that special someone can involve a
lot of trial and error.
Tapping it out
The actor is also working on other writing projects that may keep him from screen work,
including securing a deal for his as-yet-untitled book on his attempts to "answer the big questions
about spirituality."
The book is expected to follow "an ongoing quest that takes [Radnor] from his youth in
heartland Ohio to the unexpected lessons of celebrity and beyond."
Tied up behind the lens
Radnor won the Sundance Film Festival Dramatic Audience Award for his 2010 directorial debut
Happythankyoumoreplease, which he also wrote and starred in.
Since then, Radnor has also written, directed and starred in the film Liberal Arts and is
set to direct — but not star in — the upcoming sci-fi drama The Leaves.
Radnor said he got into writing with Happythankyoumoreplease in order to "give [himself] a great film role,"
adding that by writing, directing, and acting in his films, he can create projects that
feel personal.
Dabbling in music
Radnor is part of the band Radnor & Lee, along with Australian musician Ben Lee, and in October
2016, Radnor announced that they were working on a debut album:
"So I understand you're writing songs for your first album, that's great.
"I am. I am..."
"You play instruments?"
"I do not play an instrument. I'm writing an album."
"We're instrument-free as well."
"We have a support group going."
Called, "Love Songs for God and Women," Radnor said the album will feature mellow folk songs
co-written and performed by the duo.
"We decided to write one song together and we had so much fun that we wrote 11.
Then we said let's make an album, so we're cuttin' a record!"
Taking the stage
While he's been missed on the big and small screens, Radnor has been a regular feature
on popular stages for the past few years.
For example, in 2015, he appeared in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Disgraced, and most recently,
he could be seen in The Babylon Line at The Lincoln Center Theater opposite Elizabeth
Reaser.
A turnaround
Radnor has made some eclectic choices since the ending of How I Met Your Mother, and while
he may not be following the stereotypical path of most actors, he's still been keeping
himself busy with valuable and original projects, like his festival-friendly drama The Seeker.
Radnor's smarts and ambition should serve him well in any field.
Here's hoping we just get to see a little bit more of him soon.
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