In our Q&A series Last Call, we get down to the bottom of every last thing with some of our favorite celebs — from the last time they were starstruck to the last song they listened to. This week, “How I Met Your Father” star Francia Raisa takes our call.
Francia Raisa has “zero clue” who the titular father is on “How I Met Your Father.” But even if she did, her lips are sealed. “I do not think they will ever tell me, because I keep trying to figure it out,” Raisa tells POPSUGAR. “At this point, I’m so confused, because even though I’m on the show, there are things that I don’t even catch until it airs. I’m like, ‘Wait a second, she said she kissed all of her friends. What does that mean?’ And I didn’t even hear that line until it aired.”
Similar to the beloved CBS sitcom “How I Met Your Mother,” the Hilary Duff-led Hulu reboot centers on trying to figure out who Sophie’s (Duff) son’s father is. So far, there are plenty of contenders, from Drew (Josh Peck), Sophie’s love interest in season one, to Jesse (Christopher Lowell), Sophie’s ex-turned-friend. “We all have our theories, but at this point, honestly, I don’t want to get in trouble. So I’m not even going to say anyone I suspect because anyone could take it out of context,” Raisa says.
Season two of “HIMYF” has been peppered with plenty of celebrity cameos, including Meghan Trainor, Mark Consuelos, and Constance Marie. But the biggest one so far has definitely been “How I Met Your Mother”‘s Neil Patrick Harris reprising his role as Barney Stinson in the midseason finale. In the final moments of the episode, we see Sophie crash into another car, which turns out to be Barney’s. At first, Barney, who is a “recovering serial womanizer,” assumes that Sophie is out to get him, but she informs him that’s not the case. In exchange for not charging Sophie for the damage to his car, Sophie tells Barney all about the drama she’s found herself in. The conversation then helps Sophie decide that she does want to find her dad after all.
Though Raisa didn’t get to personally meet Harris (his scenes were just with Duff), she has met Kim Cattrall and, most recently, Cobie Smulders. “Hoping that I run into Neil at some point, or every other cast member at some point in life,” Raisa says. “It was honestly the best feeling in the world going up to Cobie and being like, ‘Hi, I just wanted to meet you. I’m on ‘How I Met Your Father.’ And it’s like that instant connection where I have the best excuse to approach you.”
“HIMYF” returns for the second installment of season two on May 23, and Raisa promises there are “so many more fun guests” on the way. “I’ll just say this: teenage me was living her best life,” she teases. “There’s a moment that I have that I never in my life thought would happen growing up being fans of these people.”
As of now, the show has yet to be renewed for a third season, but Raisa says she and the cast remain hopeful. “We want to keep going. We just don’t know yet. There’s so much happening within the industry that everything is kind of up in the air. And honestly, I stand in solidarity with the writers,” she notes, referencing the potential Writers Guild of America strike. “So hopefully we get to come back sooner than later, but I feel like it’s only fair enough for everyone to get what they deserve.”
Read on for the rest of Raisa’s Last Call interview.
What was the last day of filming “How I Met Your Father” season two like?
It was really fun. We filmed in front of a live audience, and it was my first time [doing that]. I think nerves were just going crazy, and then when they called action, I blacked out. We all went out for drinks after.
Who’s the last “How I Met Your Father” costar you texted?
Hilary [Duff] today actually, because she had just posted that she pulled a muscle driving and I was like, “Girl, I literally turned my neck and had to run to the chiropractor.” I’m not even 35 yet. Then we just started talking about acupuncture.
What’s the last thing you did with your “How I Met Your Father” costars off set?
I actually just hung out with Ashley Reyes, who plays Hannah on “How I Met Your Father.” She invited me to watch the UFC fight last weekend, so I met up with her. Prior to that, at the wrap party. We all hung out until it was way too late, and it was really, really fun. Other than that, Hilary, Tien [Tran], and I keep talking about having a pool day at Hilary’s. Obviously, at Hilary’s cause her pool’s awesome. Our schedules haven’t aligned, but that’s happening.
What’s the last TV show you binge-watched?
Scripted, “Beef.” Unscripted, “Love Is Blind.”
What’s the last song/album you listened to?
“Hawái” by Maluma. Chlöe’s was the last album I heard, and SZA.
What’s the last book you read?
I’ve been reading a lot of memoirs. I’m reading Trevor Noah’s book right now.
What’s the last thing you did for self-care?
Well, I just took a really nice long steam shower and played meditation music. And now I’m going to go to yoga. I left California and bought a house in [Colorado] so I can find peace. I’m at that house now, and it’s all for my mental health. I wanted to be by the mountains.
What was the last trip you went on?
I think it was Trinidad. I went for Carnival with Lilly Singh in February.
What’s the last piece of advice you received that changed your life?
My friend Cathy Kelley said the other day, “You don’t give to receive, but if you want to receive, that’s called manipulation.” And that just really helped me wake up to the stuff around me. It changed my life mentally and emotionally into being able to handle and understand differently. There’s a lot more great advice I’ve gotten, but that one’s really stuck with me the last few days.
When was the last time you were starstruck?
I would probably say Cobie when I met her the other day. But also I went to WrestleMania recently. And even though I go every year, I still get starstruck by somebody. I saw Ric Flair at catering, and I didn’t know a lot of these people, I still get excited.
I went up to The Rock [Dwayne Johnson] a few years ago at SmackDown. He and I have the same acting coach, and our headshots just happened to be next to each other at the studio. I was like, “By the way, we’re going to work together one day and I’m going to remind you of this conversation when we do it.” He just looked at me and goes, “OK.” I walked away and I was like, “That was probably weird, but this is going to be a great story one day.”
What was the last gift you received?
I just got to my house and I actually named it, so my best friend gave me a cutting board with the name of my house on it.
Image Source: Francia Raisa