What Really Happened To Actress Alyson Hannigan?

Having appeared in the likes of ‘American Pie,’ ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer,’ and ‘How I Met Your Mother,’ Alyson Hannigan definitely isn’t a nobody. However, it’s been a while since she’s had a big-hitting role, prompting some fans to wonder what happened to the actress.

From the late 1990s to the early 2010s, Alyson Hannigan always seemed to be around. However, since the sitcom ‘How I Met Your Mother’ ended in 2014, her roles have been few and far between. Producers don’t seem to be as interested in hiring her anymore, and it appears there might be quite a few reasons why.

Alyson’s film roles have been more misses than hits

Some actors are known for being on the big screen. Others are most famous for their TV work. Occasionally, you even get stars who have achieved great success on both. Alyson Hannigan isn’t one of them, though. Although she did star in one of the biggest films of the ’90s – the comedy ‘American Pie’ – most of her success has been on television.

That’s not to say that Hannigan hasn’t bagged plenty of movies over the years. However, most of the time, these roles haven’t done her career any good. For instance, the 2006 rom-com parody ‘Date Movie’ was panned by critics, while the various sequels to ‘American Pie’ have failed to be as successful as their predecessor. The rom-com ‘Love, Wedding, Marriage’ was also a disaster, critically and commercially.

She tends to play the same sort of character, potentially suggesting a lack of range

With the majority of Hannigan’s film roles receiving a lackluster response, the actress has had to rely on TV work to keep her career going. Obviously, that’s been okay for the most part because ‘How I Met Your Mother’ and the supernatural drama ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ were so successful. Alyson played central roles in both shows, and that’s not the only similarity between them.

While Willow Rosenberg and Lily Aldrin aren’t the same characters, they’re also not wildly different either. Both offer something of a comic relief at times, same as with Michelle Flaherty in ‘American Pie.’ This could potentially be holding her back because producers might think she only knows how to play characters like this. They may prefer to hire someone with a more obvious range.

Hannigan’s biggest TV shows might have outstayed their welcome

For many actors, there’s probably something quite comforting about being on a show that has longevity. The cast and crew become like family while the locations you shoot on start to feel like home. However, being in a series for such a long time can also have its downfalls. Plenty of shows remain on TV longer than they should, leading viewers to grow bored and possibly even start to loathe it.

That’s not always a good thing for the actors who typically need it to be popular if they want to bag new projects later down the line. In Hannigan’s case, her two biggest roles collectively spanned 16 seasons. That’s a long time to only play two characters, particularly ones that share some similarities.

People still associate Alyson Hannigan as her past characters, with the actress’ help

If you were to see Alyson Hannigan on the street, would you think of her as an actress or one of her characters? It’s not uncommon for people to do the latter when they meet someone famous, especially if they’re best-known for playing someone in particular. Many people still see Alyson as Willow, with the actress not doing anything to dissuade those connections.

She sometimes appears at conventions to meet fans, sign autographs, and reminisce on the old days. While this is a great way to connect with the people who support her, it could potentially be detrimental to her career. After all, if she’s still thought of as Willow almost 20 years after ‘Buffy’ ended, how is she ever going to step out of that character’s shadow?

She called out the How I Met Your Mother finale

When you’ve been with a TV show for the best part of a decade, you probably don’t want to say anything bad about it. After all, it’s what’s kept you in the spotlight for so long. However, Alyson didn’t hesitate to call out ‘How I Met Your Mother’ after the show’s finale aired in 2014.

It seems that a lot of viewers took issue with the episode, as fans often do when a popular series ends after so long. However, they weren’t the only ones who had a problem with it. Hannigan also wasn’t happy, claiming that Barney shouldn’t have gotten married and that the episode should have included a lot of cut content. While her complaints are understandable, criticizing the series might not have done her any favors.

Some fans have criticized her for not calling out Joss Whedon

Although Alyson seemingly had no issue calling out the ‘How I Met Your Mother’ finale, something she’s been reluctant to speak out about is the Joss Whedon controversy. The ‘Buffy’ creator has come under fire in recent years for alleged misconduct behind the scenes.

This supposedly isn’t a one-time situation, with Gal Gadot and Charisma Carpenter both accusing the man of inappropriate behavior for incidents that happened years apart. Carpenter’s claims were from her time on ‘Buffy,’ with many of her former co-stars supporting the actress for speaking her truth. Hannigan isn’t one of them, though. This has prompted some fans to turn against the actress, thereby hurting her reputation. That’s probably not going to do her search for work any favors.

Her first sitcom after How I Met Your Mother was rejected by the network

After ‘Buffy’ ended, it was a couple more years before ‘How I Met Your Mother’ came along. Hannigan had no idea when the next big project – if there even were one – would happen, but thankfully, it wasn’t too long of a wait. She had similar uncertainty when the sitcom finished in 2014, only this time, it appeared like things would be quick to pick up again.

That’s because she came across a script for a sitcom that she told Variety was “too good to pass up.” The show was called ‘More Time For Family,’ and if you haven’t heard of it, that probably tells you how successful it was. After the pilot, the network decided not to greenlight the show, leaving Alyson disappointed and out of work.

A second show was also rejected after the pilot

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the only show of Hannigan’s to never make it past the pilot. A few years after ‘How I Met Your Mother’ ended, the actress had another chance to return to the spotlight. This was with the TV adaptation of the ’90s comedy movie ‘First Wives’ Club.’ She was excited about the potential future of the series.

However, after the way that ‘More Time For Family’ went, she downplayed it a little. She told Wet Paint that she was eager to see “what would happen should the show continue for years.” However, there was little chance of it having any longevity. The show wasn’t greenlit, leaving Alyson with yet another project that never went anywhere. Suddenly, her earlier success felt very distant.

Alyson’s potentially too old to play a majority of the available roles

Age can be a tricky thing to navigate in the entertainment industry. Obviously, when characters are created, there’s a general age range in mind for each one. Plenty of actors can sometimes get away with playing people younger or older than themselves because they look the correct age. That’s why so many twenty-year-olds are cast to play teenagers.

However, while this might be the case, there are still some roles that an actor can’t convincingly portray because of their age. That’s supposedly quite an issue for Alyson at the moment. She’s considered too old to play a teenager or 20/30-something anymore, which is what a majority of the available roles tend to be. Her available opportunities are more limited than they used to be.

Hannigan playing older characters might freak out some of her fans

Being in her late 40s, Hannigan also has to contend with the fact that many in the entertainment industry consider her to be past her prime. Whereas men often face little discrimination, no matter their age, it’s frequently a different situation for women. At her age, Alyson could easily portray someone’s mother, which is exactly what she’s done in movies like the superhero comedy ‘Flora and Ulysses’ and the comedy action-adventure ‘Kim Possible.’

However, the actress could potentially struggle to land this sort of work because people still associate her with younger roles. With Hannigan being so well-known in her younger years, some fans freak out seeing her play older characters. It’s a reminder that – just like her – they’re growing up too, which isn’t necessarily what they want.

Her daughter was fired from playing her character’s baby for being too old

If you need proof that actors can be fired for being the wrong age, you only need to look at Alyson’s daughters. While ‘How I Met Your Mother’ was still airing new episodes, Hannigan brought along one of the kids to play her character’s baby. Unfortunately, things didn’t pan out as the actress hoped. Her daughter was actually fired from the show because she looked too old for the role.

According to an interview with Buzzfeed, co-creator Carter Bays actually replaced Hannigan’s child with his own. The actress doesn’t hold a grudge, but she did say in a Huffington Post interview that the move was “ageist.” Hannigan would have loved to involve her daughter in the show, especially because they used her real-life pregnancy in the series.

Alyson is devoted to her family, to the possible detriment of her career

Speaking of family, this might be another reason why Hannigan doesn’t appear on screen as often as she used to. The actress has a lot of commitments outside of acting that weren’t always there when she was filming shows like ‘Buffy’ and ‘How I Met Your Mother.’ She became a parent while the latter was on the air, with her kids now 12 and nine years old.

With them being so young, her presence at home is required, unless she wants to seek the help of a nanny. However, Hannigan doesn’t seem to be one for leaving someone else to handle all her childcare. She loves being with her kids, and she’s earned enough from her career to put her family ahead of her job right now.

Hannigan’s husband has had significant success since her career’s quietened down

Fortunately for Alyson, she could probably still afford to spend a lot of time at home, even if she wasn’t so successful in the past. After all, her husband is also in the entertainment industry and may actually be a bigger deal than she is right now. Alexis Denisof has quite an impressive list of credits that span both film and TV.

While he does tend to be cast more in the latter, much like his wife, some of his movie roles are nothing to be ashamed of. For instance, he played The Other in the superhero movies ‘The Avengers’ and ‘Guardians of the Galaxy,’ which were both great successes. Over on the TV front, his work on ‘I Love Bekka and Lucy’ got him nominated for an Emmy.

Alexis believed he was only cast on How I Met Your Mother because of his wife

They often say that you shouldn’t work with your other half. However, it seems that Alyson and Alexis have actually come together in front of the camera quite a few times. Denisof appeared in both of his wife’s biggest shows, albeit in smaller roles. The two have enjoyed getting to see one another at work.

However, it seems Alexis was a little hesitant about agreeing to appear in ‘How I Met Your Mother.’ Apparently, the actor felt that he was only asked to be on the show as a favor to his wife. The producers reportedly had to talk him around, assuring Denisof that his acting skill landed him the gig, not his spouse. Eventually, he agreed and appeared in ten episodes of the sitcom.

Alyson’s most recent successes haven’t seen her act the way people are accustomed to

Although it sometimes seems like Alyson’s disappeared from the entertainment industry since ‘How I Met Your Mother’ ended, that’s not true. While she’s definitely not managed to land anything as significant as her previous work, she’s still had plenty to keep her busy. However, so little of what she actually does anymore is live-action acting.

The two shows she’s appeared on most frequently since the sitcom ended are ‘Penn and Teller: Fool Us’ and ‘Fancy Nancy.’ The former is a magic competition program on which she’s the host, while the latter is an animated children’s series that she provides a voice for. Neither of these sees Hannigan act the way everyone’s grown accustomed to over the years, suggesting a potential career shift.

One of the best reviews she received for her acting was in a stage production

Critical reception isn’t everything. After all, a movie or TV series can still be considered a commercial success, even if it got terrible reviews. That’s how ‘American Pie’ managed to produce so many sequels, despite not being the biggest of critical delights. However, just because reviews aren’t everything, that doesn’t mean they aren’t important.

Alyson’s had her share of good and bad critiques over the years, with the latter mostly being directed at her movie work. As it stands, some of the best reviews she’s received haven’t been on the big or small screen – they’ve been on stage. One critic said she was the best thing about the 2004 West End production of the rom-com ‘When Harry Met Sally.’ The play itself received a lukewarm reception.

Alyson Hannigan occasionally buys properties and then flips them for a profit

Unless you’re someone like Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, or Brad Pitt, you know that longevity in the entertainment industry isn’t guaranteed. You can be a big deal one moment and a nobody the next, which means you have to consider other potential ways to make money. For Alyson, that’s apparently involved property investment.

She and her husband reportedly buy houses, improve them, and then sell them for a profit. They’ve purchased homes in Brentwood, Santa Monica, and Encino over the years, the prices for which have been in the millions. Obviously, the couple doesn’t get rid of every property they buy. However, the ones they do sell appear to have done a decent job of keeping their bank accounts well in the green.

This Is Us was apparently filmed at Alyson’s home

Hannigan’s lived in many properties over the years, but few of them have been as interesting as her current home. According to the actress, it was actually used as the set for the drama series ‘This Is Us.’ She believes that the property was frequently let out to studios by the former owners, hence why she apparently got requests to film there several times a month.

Alyson initially had no desire to use her home for such a purpose, aware of the damage that could potentially be done. However, the director of ‘This Is Us’ was her neighbor, which prompted the actress to consider changing her mind. She eventually relented, believing that the crew would be more respectful because ‘This Is Us’ was a long-running show.

The crew apparently left the house in a better condition than when they started

As it turns out, Hannigan was right to have faith in the crew. Apparently, by the time they’d finished filming, the house was in a better condition than when they’d started. She reportedly returned to discover that damaged parts of the property had been fixed in her absence. From polishing woodwork to touching up the paintwork, they ensured the home was sparkling clean.

It was far more than Hannigan expected, and it told her that she was right for agreeing to let out the property for the show. However, that doesn’t mean she’s completely changed her tune about allowing people to film at her house. After all, just because one crew took care of the place, there’s no guarantee that the next one would do the same.

One of Alyson’s properties is supposedly haunted by a friendly ghost

Plenty of people worry about their house being haunted when they see or hear unexplainable things. Even some celebrities have this concern, although not all of them are terrified by these supposed paranormal experiences. Alyson certainly wasn’t when she supposedly had contact with a spirit in one of her properties. According to Architectural Digest, she saw a man’s silhouette, which she initially thought was her husband’s.

However, he was asleep next to her. Earlier that night, one of Hannigan’s friends had apparently also seen the figure in the house. While this might be unsettling, nothing the ghost has done has supposedly been scary, prompting the actress to believe they’re friendly. She told the publication she was considering leaving a chalkboard out so they might reveal their name.

Hannigan nearly messed up her audition for Buffy

Of Hannigan’s three biggest roles, ‘Buffy’ came first in 1997. With this being the case, her success on the show may be what helped her land those other significant parts. That means that if things hadn’t worked out with ‘Buffy,’ her career might have played out very differently. As it turns out, her time on the supernatural series nearly did go horribly wrong, with Alyson admitting that her audition wasn’t the best.

According to the actress, not only was she feeling unwell during testing, but she also “walked into a door and forgot all [her] lines.” That probably would have been the end of the road for anyone else. However, Joss Whedon noticed the chemistry between Hannigan and the other cast, so she still got the job.

Her Buffy co-star Seth Green appeared with Hannigan in one of her first film roles

It’s no surprise that Alyson had such great chemistry with her co-stars, given she’d worked with some of them before. Seth Green, who appeared in several dozen episodes of the show as Oz, had actually worked alongside Hannigan in one of her earliest roles. They appeared together in the sci-fi comedy movie ‘My Stepmother Is An Alien.’

Alyson played one of the aforementioned stepmother’s stepchildren, while Green was her character’s date for a school dance. It was a suitable pairing, given they’d later go on to play lovers in ‘Buffy.’ Of course, given that the supernatural series didn’t come along for almost another decade, the two had no idea that their worlds would collide again like this one day. It was a pleasant surprise.

One episode of Buffy resonated strongly with Alyson’s high school experience

A central reason why shows are successful is that viewers manage to connect with the characters and what they experience. However, it’s not just people at home that can relate to what happens in the series. The actors can, too, with Alyson forming quite a personal connection with elements of ‘Buffy.’

In particular, she found the episode ‘Out of Sight, Out of Mind’ to be quite reminiscent of her own high school experience. The episode revolves around a girl feeling invisible in school and eventually disappearing, which struck a chord with Hannigan. She had similar struggles in high school and found that working on this episode “resonated so profoundly” with her. She felt like Joss was thinking about her when he wrote that character.

Hannigan is thankful that her character had a positive impact on the LGBTQ community

‘Buffy’ was a hit with viewers for its compelling drama and brilliant characters. However, that wasn’t the only thing that made the show stand out. ‘Buffy’ was also notable for portraying female-only relationships with one of its main characters. Although Willow dated men at the start of the series, she later came out as LGBTQ and had romantic entanglements with women.

At the time, this was a rarity on television, so the character helped pioneer LGBTQ equality in mainstream TV. While Alyson herself doesn’t share the same romantic feelings as her character, she’s grateful that she got to play someone so impactful. People apparently still tell her today how influential Willow was in them coming out, which is something Hannigan will always treasure.

John Ritter once bought Alyson a shirt she loved from the wardrobe department

When you work on a show for the best part of a decade, it’s natural to want keepsakes from your time on set. Unsurprisingly, Hannigan still has mementos from her biggest projects, including a rubber duck shirt that Willow wore in an episode of ‘Buffy.’ The actress didn’t simply take this home without anyone knowing, though.

Apparently, she told John Ritter that she loved it, so he went to the wardrobe department and asked to buy it for her. Later, when she went back to her trailer, she discovered the shirt with a note saying that John wanted her to have it. Other items from ‘Buffy’ that Alyson still has includes some of Willow’s overalls, a pair of Buffy’s boots, and a bunch of stuff from the Master’s lair.

Hannigan’s husband initially didn’t want to date her because they were co-stars

We mentioned earlier that Alyson and her husband worked together on ‘Buffy,’ as well as ‘How I Met Your Mother.’ However, what we didn’t say is that the supernatural series is actually where the pair first met. He had a recurring role on the show’s third season, and Hannigan took a shine to him immediately. Unfortunately, she faced some resistance from Denisof.

It wasn’t that he wasn’t interested in her, but rather he was reluctant to date her because they were co-stars. So, instead, they built up a good friendship, with a relationship eventually forming several years later. Evidently, the actor doesn’t have any regrets, given that the two of them are still together all these years later. They even renewed their vows on their 10th wedding anniversary.

Alyson’s first main TV role was both a critical and commercial failure

Hannigan’s success over the years isn’t something that everyone can duplicate. However, it’s important to note that she wasn’t hitting it out of the park straight off the bat. Her first acting credit came in the late ’80s, so it was a good decade before Alyson had her breakthrough role. Before then, the actress was only really landing TV films and occasional episode appearances.

Although she did have a main role in the sitcom ‘Free Spirit,’ this show was hardly something worth bragging about. Reviews for the series weren’t flattering, with critics actually voting it the worst program on television. With ratings also pretty poor, this show was a failure all around. The only good to come of it was that Alyson was nominated for a Young Artist Award.

She gets embarrassed by elements of American Pie when her kids are around

It’s clear that Alyson has a lot to be proud of in her career. While there have definitely been missteps, the success of other projects means that these mistakes are easily forgotten. That doesn’t mean Hannigan isn’t sometimes embarrassed by her past work. She particularly goes red in the face when it comes to ‘American Pie.’

Obviously, the movie is full of crude and racy humor that isn’t appropriate for young viewers. Given that Alyson is now a mother of two, it’s potentially understandable why she might not always want to revisit that part of her life. She especially likes to avoid it around her kids, telling Kelly Clarkson that fans love quoting the inappropriate “One time at band camp” line to her.

Alyson doesn’t feel that Buffy is the right show for her children at the moment

‘American Pie’ definitely isn’t a film that Alyson will be hurrying to show her kids anytime soon. However, that’s not the only one of her past projects that she’s apparently keeping her daughters away from. Hannigan is also reportedly reluctant to let the girls watch ‘Buffy’ because she doesn’t believe they’re ready for it yet.

Her children apparently aren’t fans of “scary stuff,” of which there’s quite a bit in the supernatural series. While some may consider the show’s content pretty tame, young kids might not feel the same. Alyson admitted that they could potentially watch the first few seasons, but characters like Dark Willow are out of the question right now. She feels the girls need a few more years before they’re ready for that.

Hannigan claims that Sarah Michelle Gellar didn’t enjoy being on the show

While Hannigan’s Willow was definitely one of the best things about ‘Buffy,’ she wasn’t the show’s central character. There would have been no series without Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Buffy. Of course, if the actress had her way, the program might have panned out very differently. According to Alyson, Gellar grew tired of the show after just a few seasons.

She told Andy Cohen that she hated it by season three because of the amount of work it added to her already busy schedule. When Entertainment Weekly revealed her departure in the early 2000s, this supposedly blindsided the cast and crew, who didn’t know the show was coming to an end. The actress also told the publication that sometimes calling it quits “feels right.”

She’s downplayed rumors that she and Gellar are feuding

As soon as Hannigan made these remarks about Gellar, questions surfaced regarding the nature of their relationship. Some people assumed that they shared a rivalry, a rumor that Alyson was quick to downplay. She told HuffPost Live that her remarks weren’t meant to be shady and that she understood why Sarah was tired of the show.

After all, the actress “worked 18-hour days for years,” so she had every right to be worn out. Being the main character on the supernatural series meant that its success rested on her shoulders; she couldn’t just quit without taking the show down with her. Fortunately, both actresses have shown several times on social media that they’re still good friends, with Gellar attending a birthday party for Hannigan’s daughter in 2015.

Alyson didn’t enjoy kissing Jason Segal on How I Met Your Mother

As one of the most successful sitcoms on TV, ‘How I Met Your Mother’ will always hold a special place in the viewers’ hearts. The same goes for the cast, although there are some things about the show that they won’t miss. For Hannigan, it’s having to kiss Jason Segal as often as she did. It’s not that she had an issue locking lips with a co-star or found Segal to be unattractive.

However, with the actor using adult substances, Alyson often commented on the horrible taste and smell. Although Jason would apparently chew gum or mints beforehand, these supposedly did little to mask the taste. There was a period when he actually managed to quit, much to Hannigan’s relief, but this only lasted a year.

Hannigan cried when she realized she wouldn’t see her co-stars that often again

Alyson might not have enjoyed kissing Segal, but that doesn’t mean she hated working with him. Quite the opposite, actually. He played her onscreen lover for nine years, so the two of them built up a strong relationship. That’s how it was with all the cast, with the five main characters practically a family by the end of the series.

Cobie Smulders was confident that the five of them would still hang out all the time because of this. However, Alyson knew better, having worked on a long-running series before. She knew how quickly their lives and careers would get in the way, which is why she started crying during an interview on the talk show ‘The Talk.’ She’d only been asked what she’d miss about working with Jason.

She was left fearing for her life after someone sent threatening messages on social media

Hannigan is almost always a beacon of positivity. It’s rare to see the actress without a smile, and she always seems to look on the bright side of things. However, while that might be the case, that doesn’t mean she hasn’t faced pain and adversity in the past. Back in 2013, the actress had to get a restraining order out against a man she feared was going to assault her and take her life.

She told the L.A. County Superior Court that she feared for the lives of her and her family after being repeatedly harassed by someone on social media. She’d never met the man, but for several months, he sent messages that caused Hannigan significant upset. Thankfully, she was granted the restraining order.

Some of Alyson’s recent projects have gotten great reviews

As with anyone in the entertainment industry, Hannigan’s future remains unclear. She may never land another role as successful as ‘American Pie,’ ‘Buffy,’ or ‘How I Met Your Mother.’ Even if she doesn’t, though, it’s unlikely that the actress will ever be out of work. Although her recent projects aren’t as big as some of her past ones, they have been getting great reviews.

‘Flora and Ulysses,’ for instance, has a 73% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is actually higher than the 61% that ‘American Pie’ has. As for ‘Kim Possible,’ that’s got 100% on the site, so clearly, Alyson is doing something right. Just because her credits aren’t as significant as they used to be, Alyson’s still showing her star power at every opportunity.