Exclusive Interview: Suraj Sharma Talks How I Met Your Father, the Creative Team Behind the Series, and More

Suraj Sharma is one of Hollywood’s most exciting leading men. The award-winning actor is known for his transformative performances in critically-acclaimed projects including Life of Pi, The Illegal, and God Friended Me.

Currently, he stars in the must-see series, How I Met Your Father. The laugh-out-loud comedy is set in the near future where Sophie (Hilary Duff) is telling her son the story of how she met his father: a story that catapults us back to the present where Sophie and her close-knit group of friends are in the midst of figuring out who they are, what they want out of life, and how to fall in love in the age of dating apps and limitless options. Suraj shines as the lovable and loyal friend, Sid.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Suraj about the second season of How I Met Your Father, the creative team behind the series, his character’s evolution, the importance of representation, and more.

PC: You were a fan of How I Met Your Mother before you signed on for this show, but you were a little skeptical about joining the spinoff. What ultimately made you say yes?
Suraj: It was the team. In the beginning, I was like, “Wow, this is something quite large to take on with such a big following, and what a great show that was.” So I was skeptical in the beginning, but then as I talked to and found out who was making up the team of this, I realized that there was a perfect balance of the culture of the past show and a fresh new take. I realized that this team is good and they’re capable of doing this, and it’s been great.

PC: One of the benefits of television as a medium is the opportunity to live with a character for an extended period of time. As the creators and writers get to know each of the actors, they’re able to incorporate elements of them into their characters. How has that relationship with Isaac and Elizabeth grown from Season 1 into Season 2? What has that collaboration been like?
Suraj: The biggest evolution has been the ease with which we understand each other and the ease with which they have begun to write stories because they have a better understanding of how we are and who we are. And more important than that, what we tend to be better at and how we are looking at this individually and as a cast. That’s been the biggest change. It’s been fantastic because, to a degree, you’re living with these characters and you’re learning more about them as the audience does. That’s been fun because it’s a constant exploration. You constantly see them do things that help you understand who they are and how they are. It’s an adventure. It’s fun.

PC: You’ve also said in previous interviews that the writers are constantly surprising you. What’s been the most surprising revelation across the two seasons?
Suraj: It’s not as much of a surprise as it is a reaffirmation that this dude is immensely loyal. He chooses that over things that are far easier. For me, it’s not as much a surprise as it is a constant reminder that Sid is this immensely loyal dude who lives by his heart.

PC: Sid also has so many hilarious one liners throughout the two seasons. How much of that is scripted versus improvised? How much space do you all have to improvise what feels more authentic to each of your characters?
Suraj: In the process in which we do this, we have a nice way to balance it out. The first two days when you rehearse and you do it in front of the writers and everyone, you can get good attempts in. You can improvise. It’s almost like you’re pitching an idea. You move through things. You give your ideas. At the end of the day, they choose. Then on the day, you can try a couple of new things if you want. If you’ve created options, you use that. It’s great that we have these two days before we actually shoot to test things out to see how it goes. Because when you’re shooting, it moves super fast and we need to get what we need. Having those two days is a lot of fun because you can come up with your ideas. They come up with new ideas. It’s a good place to test things. It’s been fantastic.

PC: Because of the pandemic, you did table reads over Zoom. Was there a moment on set when you realized you had the chemistry needed to bring this friend group to life?
Suraj: I’m sure there were moments when we realized that this was going to work. On the day that we all sat at the table read, we were all in our own heads, trying to understand each other and see how this is going to go. But the moment we sat down and the table read started and we started hearing these other characters come to life, that was when we realized the chemistry is good. The whole room realized that this was going to be a lot of fun. That was probably the moment. But it keeps getting stronger and stronger. The vibe on set is fantastic that every day genuinely different things happen. We connect in different ways. We understand each other better. We can help each other out, and life happens. We know about each other’s lives and the things that are going on in them too.

PC: There have been so many incredible cameos this season. How early on do you learn about who is making a guest appearance? Who’s been the most shocking guest thus far?
Suraj: The most shocking was definitely Neil Patrick Harris. Everybody was stoked about that. It turned out great. He’s a larger-than-life dude, and it’s great to be in that presence. But we find out when we read it like a day or two before. Sometimes we don’t even know until we’re on the day and the new sides come in. It’s amazing. It really is as surprising and exciting for us as it is for anybody else. You keep getting surprised. There are a lot of amazing ones. It keeps you on your toes.

PC: If you could pitch a guest to the writers, who would you love to see on the show and why?
Suraj: More recently, I’ve been thinking about Kal Penn. He’s an amazing person and a legend. That would be great. I’d be super stoked.

PC: This industry has made really slow progress in terms of representation. Early on, there was this element of tokenism in the conversation of diversity. But with shows like How I Met Your Father, we’re seeing a much-needed step forward in that evolution where we can have characters with diverse backgrounds exist in the world without their sole identity being attached to their ethnicity and/or their culture. When did you start noticing that shift in the industry? What does it mean to you to be a part of this movement?
Suraj: It means everything. This is our movement. That’s what we’re doing. That’s the real work. Of course, things have gotten better. As far as the conversation about tokenism is concerned, as much as it can be frustrating or can be a tool, it’s needed. It’s great that you said “evolution” because it is an evolution. Without that stage, we wouldn’t be where we are now. These characters are being evolved, written better, and explored more honestly and truthfully. This is another step. Without the tokenism, this wouldn’t have come through. We’re in the process. We’re moving along. But things are beautiful, and things are super exciting, especially since diversity is most important when the idea is formed and cultivated. We are seeing more and more diversity in that realm, which in turn translates into what I’m doing or the things that I’m allowed to explore. We’ve come a long way, but there’s a long way to go.

PC: We know you can’t say too much, but what’s ahead for Sid in the back half of Season 2?
Suraj: It will surprise you most definitely. I was super surprised. I was very excited for the back half of this season. When we were reading the scripts and we were going through it, by Episode 10 we all reached this mode and we were moving through things so smoothly and everything kept getting better and better. Around 10 towards the end, we became really smooth. I’m excited to see this because I was always saying, “Wait until Episode 10, 11, 12…” Things start to level up.

PC: This show is able to tackle universal themes through a comedic lens. Why do you think this genre lends itself to this type of storytelling? Was there a particular theme that hit home for you?
Suraj: Comedy is humanity’s way to talk about things that are tough or that make you feel frustrated. This story is about a bunch of late 20s, early 30s trying to figure out life. If anybody’s been in that period of your life, as much as it is fun, it’s also frustrating. Trying to talk about all the things that happen in life, in my opinion, comedy brings light to everything. It makes you enjoy things that you wouldn’t even normally enjoy. It’s a beautiful thing. In the world that we live in, there’s no limit to how much comedy we need. It’s beautiful.

PC: If we’re lucky enough to get a third season, is there an aspect of Sid that you would love to dive further into?
Suraj: Definitely. I want to see Sid be put outside of his space of comfort. I want something to happen that puts him in that situation. Sid’s very secure in who he is. It would be very interesting to see him be placed outside of that and see what happens. What will he do? I’m hoping like everybody else that Season 3 happens. If it does, that would be fun to explore.

To keep up with Suraj, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Watch How I Met Your Father on Hulu.

Photo Credit: Patrick Wymore/Hulu