Neil Patrick Harris was recently announced as the upcoming host for the Academy Awards in 2015, and when he sat down with Entertainment Weekly‘s Matt Bean for a Sirius XM “Town Hall” interview he had plenty to say about the opportunity.
When asked who he would want as a dream duet partner for the show, Harris at first joked “Snow White,” then went on to brainstorm out loud. “Gaga?” he wondered, before worrying if a Lady Gaga duet would be “movies” enough. “Adele? That would be cool. Pink? We could do circus things,” he said, laughing.
Read more Neil Patrick Harris to Host the 2015 Oscars
Harris has hosted the Emmy Awards twice and the Tony Awards four times, but said he doesn’t want his Oscars to be “super derivative of other shows.” He also said he’d like to find a balance between honoring the gravity of the Oscars “without getting heavy and boring,” referencing former award show hosts Johnny Carson, Billy Crystal, Seth Meyers and Ellen DeGeneres as personal favorites.
The actor said he liked Meyers “strong” opening monologue at the Emmys. “It had teeth; it was relevant; it was funny.” While he doesn’t plan to mimic them, Harris did say that he loved Crystal’s green-screen scenes, where the comedian would put himself in Oscar-nominated films. He also complimented DeGeneres for always making the audience “super comfortable and relaxed.”
Read more 30 Years of Oscar Hosts: Johnny Carson, Seth MacFarlane, Ellen
“I hope that I can keep it smart,” said Harris. “I’ve always loved the Oscars and have great respect for its history and the gowns and the classiness of it.”
The interview airs on Oct. 17 at 1:00 p.m. ET on SiriusXM’s Entertainment Weekly Radio, but you can listen to it now below.
