Neil Patrick Harris Shares How Supporting Cancer Charities Helped Inform His Experience On ‘Sunny Dancer’

Neil Patrick Harris is at Berlinale to present his newest indie film, Sunny Dancer, directed by George Jaques. A British coming-of-age story centred on the youth going to a summer camp for cancer-affected young adults. Read our Neil Patrick Harris Sunny Dancer interview.

I spoke with Neil about how his philanthropic efforts, particularly concerning cancer organisations, have helped him to develop a more nuanced understanding and approach to tackling a film that explores cancer.

Zak Ahmed: You’ve previously contributed to charity organizations like the American Cancer Society and Stand Up To Cancer, as this film is about cancer, how did that help inform your perspective and your experience working on this film?

Neil Patrick Harris: Cancer is a very serious issue, very important. I think it’s worth discussing because the earlier you can talk about it and the earlier you can detect it, the higher the chance that you can have of stopping it. And so keeping the conversation alive is great. I never really considered this a movie that was laden with cancer as an overlay. I found it a much more an interesting British ensemble movie about kids growing up. And then I think the sucker punch of the realities of cancer is what is so impactful when you watch it. You forget that it’s happening, then you realize that it’s happening, and it really hits hard.

Neil also mentions how director George sharing his own experiences with family going through cancer helped shape his own journey to understanding what the role is asking of him.

Neil: George told me his own personal stories, and I found those very moving. And I’m sort of parroting what you had told me, really, which was this was a movie taking place at a cancer camp that has nothing to do with cancer. And you’ve had your own familial situations with cancer. So I was just really impressed by that idea. I get to play the head of the camp, who’s trying very hard to be the dad joke, silly and fun. To not have that own the conversation and yet through the movie you get to learn a little bit more about my backstory. So again, it allows the pathos to bubble up when necessary, but it doesn’t need to feel like a movie that’s specific to that.

Neil Patrick Harris stars in Sunny Dancer, which premiered on Friday Night at the Berlinale.

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