A Big Bang Theory star’s jaw-dropping audition had Chuck Lorre thinking it was a fluke, but could they pull it off again?
Imagine wowing Chuck Lorre so hard he thinks, there’s no way this can happen twice. That’s exactly what one Big Bang Theory star did when they brought such electric, over-the-top energy to their audition, Lorre was convinced it might just be a lucky fluke. This was no small feat—Lorre’s seen his fair share of Hollywood hopefuls, after all!
But this actor had everyone glued to the screen, with a one-of-a-kind charm that couldn’t be taught or faked. The big question on Lorre’s mind? Could lightning strike twice, or would this stellar performance vanish under the pressure? Let’s just say, once cameras started rolling, he got his answer in the most epic way possible.
Johnny Galecki’s Audition Was So Good, Chuck Lorre Thought It Had to Be a Fluke
When Johnny Galecki walked into audition for The Big Bang Theory, he didn’t just audition—he owned the room! Chuck Lorre, the mastermind behind the show, couldn’t stop gushing about it during a chat with Foundation Interviews.
Galecki’s audition was so good, it had Lorre and the whole crew thinking, “Is this for real?” Seriously, Lorre admitted he even asked the cast if Galecki could come back, just to make sure that jaw-dropping read wasn’t a one-off. He revealed,
He came in and auditioned; he came in and auditioned for the part of a Fielden, and it was hilarious. It was shocking. It was like, oh my god! I asked the casting director, Nikki Valco, who’s, by the way, been part and parcel to every one of these shows and finding Angus…
You know, she brought in all those actors on Dharma & Greg. You know, other than Jenna, you know, I said, can he come back in and do it again? Because I thought maybe it was a fluke of some kind, but it wasn’t. He’s a genius; he’s a comic genius!
This wasn’t Galecki’s first encounter with Lorre either. The two had crossed paths when Galecki was a young teen on Roseanne, and even back then, Lorre spotted that raw talent.
Flash forward 20 years, and Galecki walked into Big Bang’s casting room with an actor’s sensibility honed by years of theater. According to Lorre, he brought an energy that transformed The Big Bang Theory’s ensemble.
So there it was—a cast brimming with talent, transforming a clever script into the cultural phenomenon that became The Big Bang Theory. In a world where auditions can be hit or miss, Galecki didn’t just hit—he hit it out of the park.
Johnny Galecki Nearly Quit The Big Bang Theory in Season 4 After Major Health Scare
Johnny Galecki almost ditched The Big Bang Theory during season 4. Why? Not another gig—he had a health scare that threw everything up in the air.
In The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series, Galecki recalled a 2011 trip where, out of nowhere, one side of his face just stopped working. He asserted,
I was at my sister’s house in Chicago and kept getting teary out of my right eye. I took allergy medicine and when I woke up, I was still teary, but this time I was also drooling and one side of my face was entirely drooping. I thought I had had a mini-stroke.
He called Chuck Lorre and offered to help recast Leonard. Lorre, thankfully, had other ideas. After pulling in top docs, the diagnosis came in: Bell’s palsy, not a stroke.
Still, Galecki had to figure out how to film with half his face out of commission. Johnny Galecki pushed through—and stayed for all 12 seasons, though.
