Starring in the “Big Bang Theory” prequel series “Young Sheldon” had the potential to be an intimidating task for Iain Armitage. After all, Jim Parsons’ “The Big Bang Theory” character Sheldon Cooper is one of the best-known and most popular contemporary sitcom characters, so portraying a younger version of him came with a whole set of challenges.
Fortunately, the young actor got some expert advice from the person who knew the role best: Parsons himself, who served as the show’s narrator in addition to being one of its executive producers. In April 2024, ahead of the premiere of the series finale episode “Memoir,” Armitage told Variety about the help Parsons was able to provide him:
“Mostly, just teaching me how to do the accent and the way Sheldon looks at the world. Saying that Sheldon seeks order and has a hard time with social interaction, how it can sort of be disordered. For Sheldon, as incredible and genius as he is, it doesn’t come that easy for him. He can do all this wonderful stuff and he’s got such an incredible brain, but some sentiments for him can be completely alien. It is pretty fascinating and an interesting juxtaposition for both a character and a person.”
Jim Parsons had good things to say about Young Sheldon … eventually
While he participated in the “Big Bang Theory” prequel series and took the time to help Iain Armitage embody the role of Sheldon Cooper to a great effect, Jim Parsons almost rejected “Young Sheldon” at first. This didn’t take, however, as the project’s quality ended up winning over Parsons enough for him to even make a cameo during the series finale, playing an older, more mature Sheldon with a new look opposite his fellow “Big Bang Theory” veteran Mayim Bialik as Sheldon’s wife Amy Farrah Fowler.
As you might guess, Armitage found the opportunity to watch Parsons return to the role they both spent so long playing fascinating, to say the least. In the Variety interview, he revealed how watching Parsons portray Sheldon felt:
“It was definitely surreal. I think it was weird and cool and interesting. He said that in a good way, he felt like a guest on our set. I was happy that it didn’t feel too weird or out of the ordinary for him. That’s all I can ask for.”
The entirety of “Young Sheldon” is currently streaming on Max (along with every season of “The Big Bang Theory”).