Like its successful predecessor, How I Met Your Father has captured viewers’ intrigue by dropping clues about each character that will ultimately lead to the series’ endgame: the revelation as to who Sophie ends up with.
But do the cast of the show have any insights into who it might be?
”I wish we did, but we’re in the dark!” Hilary Duff, 35, who plays lead character Sophie, tells TV WEEK with a laugh.
”It has to be Jesse! No, I don’t think the writers know – and they’ve kept so many options open for future seasons.”
From above left: Sophie, Jesse, Charlie, Valentina and Ellen.
(IMAGE: Supplied)
The actor who plays Jesse, Chris Lowell, says it would ”simplify the story” if they did know it’s his character, but, like the rest of the audience, he’s happy to keep exploring it.
”Truly, none of us know,” the 38-year-old says.
”And that makes it a lot easier, because we can’t spoil anything! For the first season, we sniffed around for clues in the scripts, but it became so clear they’re [the writers] playing a long game, so we’ve thrown it out the window. It’s fun to learn in real time.”
That’s not to say they haven’t tried to guess.
Tom Ainsley, who plays Charlie, and Suraj Sharma, who plays Sid, spent a night investigating the clues.
The question still remains, who is the father?
(IMAGE: Supplied)”After wrapping season two, we had a few beverages to celebrate – and spent an hour-and-a-half in the car park, drunk out of our minds, trying to figure it out,” Tom, 31, says.
Suraj, 29, adds that they had ”many theories”, yet are none the wiser now: ”It’s incredibly frustrating!” he jokes.
The spin-off of How I Met Your Mother, which ran from 2005 to 2014, is still in its early years, but has found its feet as it heads into the second season.
Sophie (whose “future self” is played by Sex and The City star Kim Cattrall), is facing the fallout of sabotaging her relationship with Jesse while attempting to build her career.
The friends have lots of laughs together.
(IMAGE: Supplied)Whether they circle back to each other remains to be seen, but in the meantime, a new love interest emerges in the form of another Sex and The City star: John Corbett.
Hilary has worked with John before, and with SATC series creator Darren Starr on Younger.
The ties prompt a question: would she join the SATC universe by appearing in the spin-off HBO series And Just Like That?
”How have they not called me?” Hilary jokes.
”I’m basically there, one step away – call me, Darren. [Laughs] I don’t think we’re manifesting it hard enough!”
Photographer Sophie is a hopeless romantic…but Sophie and Jesse have been very much on and off as a couple.
(IMAGE: Supplied)Elsewhere, Francia Raisa, 34, who plays Valentina, hints that her character and Charlie may not be done just yet.
”It’s so complicated,” she says, with Tom adding, ”When they [Valentina and Charlie] first met, they weren’t making the best decisions, but they’ve grown up this season. I’m proud of them.”
John Corbett isn’t the only A-lister to join the series.
Gossip Girl’s Leighton Meester returns as Meredith, while Grammy winner Meghan Trainor and original How I Met Your Mother star Neil Patrick Harris have cameos. For the cast, it’s a sign the show is working.
”We’re so excited people are saying yes to this,” Tien Tran, 35, who plays Jesse’s adoptive sister Ellen, says.
”These are comedy icons that I’ve followed, so it’s wonderful to learn from them.”
”It’s so exciting when we read the scripts and see who’s coming in,” Francia says.
”There’s an episode in which I had scenes with this comedy legend and at one point, she turned to me and said, ‘Wow, you’re so good!’ I was blown away to be given that compliment by someone I admire so much.”
WATCH NOW: The cast of How I Met Your Father on who they think the father is. Article continues after video.
While the cast are careful not to reveal any spoilers, they do know how lucky they are to be returning for another season.
”We all went into this never having done a sitcom before, but the way the show has been received is a huge boost of confidence,” Chris says.
Hilary, whose singing and acting career began as a teenager two decades ago, says she’s fully aware of her success and doesn’t take it for granted.
”I’ve been on three very loved shows now [Lizzie McGuire, Younger and How I Met Your Father],” she says.
”It’s so cool and I’m so lucky to be here.”
”I work really hard, but opportunities present themselves on days when you don’t think the phone will ring. This industry can take a turn quickly – for good and bad – and things aren’t permanent, but it’s so interesting and exciting to be in.”
