Neil Patrick Harris Reveals the Meaning Behind His New Tattoo (Exclusive)

The actor debuted the tattoo on Instagram.

Neil Patrick Harris put a lot of thought behind his new tattoo. ET spoke with the 49-year-old actor at the premiere of his upcoming Netflix series, Uncoupled, and he revealed the meaning behind the new ink as well as why he chose to get it done in London, England.

“I was filming a Doctor Who's special in London, and I knew that the tattoo was going to be a top hat, and a magical sort of classic one, and I wanted it to be very detailed, and I figured the Brits would know how to do a top hat better than the Americans," Harris explained with a laugh. "So, I had it done there, and this amazing Frenchman named Thomas did it and it only took like four hours. I'm glad it was done."

Harris debuted the tattoo on Instagram last week, writing, "I got some ink. Wanted a second tattoo for a while, and thought London was the ideal place to get a proper magician’s top hat. @thomascarlijarlier is simply remarkable, and a true gentleman. Check out his larger work, I’m just amazed by the detail. #grateful @noireinklondon."

The studio where the tattoo was done documented NPH's four-hour-long journey to get the perfect ink in a series of Instagram videos the same day. "We at @noireinklondon had an immense pleasure to welcome Neil @nph for his new tattoo! It’s all about magic 🎩🐇" the post read. "Thanks Neil for choosing us and @thomascarlijarlier."

Quoting Harris' How I Met Your Mother character, Barney Stinson, the post added, "It was truly legendary!"

Harris' tattoo, which he showed off on Tuesday night in a sleeveless shirt and vest, isn't the only thing he's excited about these days. The Tony Award winner is looking forward to viewers seeing Uncoupled, in which he stars as Michael, a gay man in his mid-40s who is blindsided after his partner of 17 years leaves him.

Neil Patrick Harris attends Netflix's 'Uncoupled' season 1 premiere at Paris Theater on July 26, 2022 in New York City. - Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

“Netflix has been a super supporter of gay content, of giving us the opportunity to tell a story that is both unique and super recognizable and relatable," Harris told ET. "It’s a breakup show -- a breakup comedy by [Sex and the City creator] Darren Star, so you have Sex and the City vibes, but you also have a bunch of emotion which he wasn't able to accomplish so much on Sex and the City."

"I was worried that people would only be able to watch this if they were a gay man of a certain age," he added. "I thought, 'Is this show too niche?' But in point of fact, I think everyone’s gone through a breakup or everyone’s terrified of going through [one] or being broken up with and this show is a comedic take on that idea that also allows you to like get swept away and care about these characters, so I was really pleased to be a part of it."

Uncoupled premieres July 29 on Netflix.

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