Even though How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM) ended in 2014, it still remains a favourite to many people. And with it normally being such an easy-watching show with great comic relief, when a character goes through a tough time, it truly sticks.
Jason Segal improvised HIMYM’s saddest scene
How I Met Your Mother tests its viewers every now and then by making them deal with a heartbreaking moment. These moments, of course, also showcased the acting range of the talented actors on set. And one of these sad moments was when Robyn (Cobie Smulders) found out in season 7 that she can’t have kids.
However, the one episode that had us all crying our eyes out was when Marshall (Jason Segel) lost his father. And what made this scene extra sad is that it was Segel’s true reaction since he improvised the scene without knowing what Lily (Alyson Hannigan) was about to say.
Throughout the season 6 episode, “Bad News”, Marshall and the viewers are expecting bad news regarding his fertility chances. But instead, he receives the news that he can in fact have children with Lily.
When he runs out of the bar with joy, he is met with a teary-eyed Lily who informs him that his father was rushed to hospital after suffering a heart attack, and that “he didn’t make it”.
Marshall’s shock and disbelief is clear as he simply responds with “My dad’s dead? I’m not ready for this”, as he starts crying while holding Lily.
Jason Segel nailed the heartbreaking scene in one take
This powerful and “emotionally poignant scene” is all thanks to Jason Segel. Throughout filming, both he and Alyson were left in the dark about the final scene of the episode. Both actors were under the impression that Lily would announce her pregnancy.
However, Jason decided that he didn’t want to know Lily’s line as she tells Marshall the news. And since improvisation was scarce on the HIMYM set, Jason blew everyone away as he nailed the phenomenally sad scene in one take.
Jason, of course, understood the sadness and shock that Marshall would be feeling since he just lost his father and biggest supporter.