Jason Segel recently opened up about the challenges of balancing his breakthrough TV role on How I Met Your Mother with his burgeoning film career. Cast as Marshall in 2005, Segel played the character for nine seasons, which became a defining part of his career.
On The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, the 45-year-old actor revealed that while the sitcom brought him fame and financial success, it was emotionally and physically draining to juggle. After his role in Knocked Up (2007), Segel was inspired by Judd Apatow to write screenplays, leading him to pen Forgetting Sarah Marshall during HIMYM’s first season. The 2008 film was a commercial hit, earning over $100 million and boosting Segel’s movie career.
Despite the creative fulfillment, Segel described a grueling schedule: spending most of the year filming HIMYM and then using his four-month hiatus to work on movies he’d written. Though rewarding, the relentless pace left him exhausted and gradually diminished his enjoyment. He said, “I 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.”
Segel also balanced roles in The Muppets (2011) and The Five-Year Engagement (2012) alongside the sitcom. HIMYM’s ensemble cast included Josh Radnor, Neil Patrick Harris, Cobie Smulders, and Alyson Hannigan.
