How I Met Your Mother was a hit series, and one that most fans are still highly obsessed with. While some fans may understandably not been pleased with the way the series ended, we've still dedicated so much time to learn as much as possible about the cast and characters.
Lily Aldrin Erikson is one of the leading characters of the show. She's married to Marshall, Ted's best friend, and she lends a vital perspective to the show. Her quirky and artistic personality makes her stand out from the rest of the characters. So naturally, we want to talk more about some of the more interesting facts revolving around her character.
Based On A Real Person
Did you know that Lily Aldrin is actually based on a real person? Well, loosely based on a real-life person, at any rate. Rebecca Alson-Milkman is the inspiration behind Lily's character. She's the wife of Craig Thomas, who is a writer for the series (he's also the inspiration for Marshall's character, funnily enough).
Granted, as the series went on it's like that Lily's character evolved and became more and more her own being. But still, it's fun to learn about her character origins!
Hannigan Was A Requirement For the Role
While we're talking about the real-life inspiration for Lily's character, let's talk about some of the requirements that came along with it. Or more accurately, one of the biggest requirements. Rebecca Alson-Milkman was fine with a character being loosely based off of her, but she did have one pretty major request.
She wanted Alyson Hannigan to play the part. That's the only demand she made, but it more or less made the character who and what she is today.
The Actress Never Wanted A Singing Role
You may or may not have noticed that Lily is the only main character of the series to not get a musical number. And that was done on purpose. You see, Alyson Hannigan quite literally begged the writers of the show not to force a singing position onto her lap.
As it turns out, Hannigan had a severe fear of singing in public, bordering on becoming a phobia. Since she's gotten better, but she's grateful to have dodged that bullet during her run on How I Met Your Mother.
A Woman of Many Names
Lily's character picked up dozens of nicknames during the course of the show. And we're not exaggerating when we say that she collected a bunch of them before the series conclusion.
Her nicknames and faux titles include: Lilypad, Justice Aldrin, Red, Lil, Chewbacca, The belly, The Slap Bet Commissioner, The Kraken, Mrs. Awesome, Number One Gunna, Red Head, Lily Stintson, and Ms. Aldrin (obviously). Try listing those out without missing a beat!
A Tendency to Act Like A Hypocrite
Die-hard fans of the series surely noticed Lily's tendency to act a bit like a hypocrite. Even though we love her character, we have to admit that there's a certain amount of truth to it. Lily will say one thing, and then immediately turn around and do the opposite.
Perhaps the best example of this would be the time she got mad at Marshall for being rough and controlling around her kindergartners, only to turn around and intimidate him into doing exactly what she wanted. Ironic, no?
She Stands Alone
Each of the main characters has something that makes them stand out from the others, in terms of even the most basic details. In Lily's case, it's one that might have gone unnoticed by most. You see, Lily Aldrin is an only child. And she's the only one of the core group that can claim that she has no other siblings. That's probably for the best, given her father's backslide in parenting.
A Language Inconsistency
Eagle-eyed fans may have spotted an inconsistency in Lily's language abilities. On her resume the claims that she can speak fluent Italian, and yet we all saw her struggle to get better. In fact, we even saw her go about saying that she's getting better at speaking the language.
Now, we've all buffered our resumes from time to time. So the odds are fairly good that this is exactly what Lily did. But in Lily's case, her learning this language was actually fairly important, given where she ends up.
Alyson Hannigan Wasn't A Fan of Her On-Screen Husband's Habits
If you've taken any time to search about How I Met Your Mother facts, you might already know this little detail: Alyson Hannigan hated one of the habits that Jason Segel had, and had to even ask the writers to change her behavior with her on-screen husband because of it.
You see, Hannigan hated that Segel smoked, and actively wanted to avoid having to kiss him because of it. That's why you'll hardly see the two kissing on screen, despite the obvious devotion the two of them have towards each other.
Two Pregnancies At Once
Did you know that when Lily was pregnant on the show, the actress that played Lily was also pregnant? That timing was intentional, though it did also fit in nicely with the characters and their plots as well.
So whenever you see Lily looking very obviously pregnant, that wasn't actually a suit to make her look that way. That was actually how Hannigan was looking at the time. It worked out well for the series, don't you think?
She's the Only Main Character to Not Appear in Every Episode
Lily Aldrin is the only main character that wasn't in every single episode of the series. And there's a very good reason for that. During season four of How I Met Your Mother, Lily is noticeably absent from four episodes (Mosbius Designs, The Three Days Rule, Right Place, Right Time, and As Fast As She Can). And that's because of the actress that plays Lily, Alyson Hannigan, and her pregnancy.
The writers were able to provide an excuse for Lily's absence, claiming that Lily 'needed a break' from Barney after one of his many horrible jokes that he's been known to make. And since fans could sympathize with that, it more or less went on without being questioned.