Neil Patrick Harris, recent Tony nominee, is featured naked on the cover of the newest Rolling Stone cover, wearing only a bowtie and a strategically placed top hat.

NPH Poses Naked For Rolling Stone

Harris, famous for playing Barney Stintson on How I Met Your Mother, is currently playing the transsexual rocker Hedwig in Broadway’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch, for which he was just nominated for a Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical.

Harris reportedly lost 21 pounds for the role, something his fiancé David Burtka says helps him onstage. “He’s so skinny, and I think that really gives him power. His body is crazy right now,” Burtka told Rolling Stone.

In the article, Harris explains that the weight loss was an attempt to make his body more feminine, but admits he has certainly reached his weight loss limit.

“I need to eat more. That’s becoming apparent. I’m so intent on looking feminine, on changing my silhouette. But I’m running out of energy, and it’s affecting my mood,” said Harris.

NPH On Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Not only has his role in Hedwig and the Angry Inch inspired a physical change for Harris, the actor also says it has allowed him to let go of deep seeded anxiety of appearing too feminine.

“I have always been highly aware of how I was presenting myself. Which, now that I’m playing overtly feminine and loving it, is kind of a stupid concern,” Harris revealed.

In the magazine, which hits newsstands May 9, Harris also talks about roles crucial to his career, including the exaggerated and insane version of himself from Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle and his experience coming out.

“I’m intoxicated and turned on by people who are really honest about themselves. And so the coming-out process, given that, is a great move. Because people know that you’re sexual and that’s who you like, and you’re not guarded and sketchy and awkward,” Harris explained.

Harris will appear at the Tony Awards airing live June 8 on CBS.

More on Neil Patrick Harris:

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_{> 'How I Met Your Mother' Finale Recap: Ted's 'Last Forever' Is With Robin}