Not Jim Parsons, But Johnny Galecki Was The First Choice To Play Sheldon Cooper In The Big Bang Theory?
After reaching a whooping 12 seasons, The Big Bang Theory finally came to an end in May 2019 but not without giving us some of the most memorable nerds in any sitcom’s history. It would be safe to say that Sheldon Cooper played by Jim Parsons was the heart and soul of the show. This claim is further solidified by the fact that The Big Bang Theory was concluded due to Jim Parsons’ decision to explore other projects. BAZINGA!
But there is a bizarre story that went behind the casting decisions. Johnny Galecki was offered the role at first but he opted to play the character, Leonard. Bill Prady, the co-creator of the show along with Chuck Lorre, had this to say about Jim Parson’s audition:
We saw — oh God, I don’t know, 100 people? And when Jim Parsons came in, he was Sheldon on a level — you know, there were people who came in and you went, ‘Okay, well, he’s kind of okay,’ ‘Oh, he’s pretty good,’ ‘Maybe he’s the guy.’ And Jim came in and he was just — from that audition, he was the Sheldon that you saw on television.
He created that character at that audition. And he left the room and I turned and I went, “That’s the guy! That’s the guy! That’s the guy!’ And Chuck turned and he said, ‘Nah, he’s gonna break your heart. He’ll never give you that performance again.“
“I have to say, in the story of my relationship with Chuck, the number of times that I’m right and Chuck is wrong maybe… I’m gonna go with one. This may be the only example of where I actually was right. And Jim Parsons came back in the next day and gave us that exact same performance again. It was like, ‘This is Sheldon.”
Jim Parson’s initial audition was too perfect for his own good. No wonder his portrayal of Sheldon Cooper was given a prequel series called Young Sheldon. Bet you didn’t know that! BAZINGA!
