Jason Segel Says How I Met Your Mother Became Less Enjoyable After Forgetting Sarah Marshall Success: ‘Bummer…’

Jason Segel recalls not being able to enjoy working on the popular TV show How I Met Your Mother while simultaneously having an emerging movie career. Segel was cast in the sitcom in 2005 as Marshall and continued playing the role for nine seasons.

On May 5th, talking on The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast, the actor, 45, reflected on his career, where he characterized his stint on How I Met Your Mother as both career-defining and emotionally exhausting.

Although the sitcom earned him recognition and wealth, it was during this time that there was a significant change in his work in film. Following his role in Judd Apatow's Knocked Up in 2007, Segel went into screenwriting, motivated by Apatow's opinion that his ability to improvise could be used for scriptwriting.

Segel then started working on Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which he wrote during the sitcom's first season. The 2008 film, in which he also acted, was a box office hit, earning more than USD 100 million and boosting his film career.

However, the momentum had a price tag. Segel remembered a grueling routine: working on HIMYM for the bulk of the year, then devoting his four-month off-season to making movies he'd written. Although creatively rewarding, the pace left him exhausted physically and emotionally.

While appreciative of the experiences, Segel conceded that he ultimately grew tired. He admitted, "And it was an amazing time. It was an electric time. But I also was getting a little tired and I was starting to not enjoy myself so much. And that was a bummer because I was doing such cool things."

Jason Segel also made 2011’s The Muppets and 2012’s The Five-Year Engagement while still being active in his day job which was How I Met Your Mother. He revealed that he ultimately got exhausted. HIMYM also starred Josh Radnor as Ted Mosby, Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson, Cobie Smulders as Robin Scherbatsky, and Alyson Hannigan as Lily Aldrin.

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