The show’s quirky character could never afford such a weakness, and neither did its actor.
Having come to its definite end earlier this year, Young Sheldon wrapped the whole story up by giving its titular character a good closure and sending him off to college in California, yet still shattered a couple of fans’ hearts with a big tragedy that changed everyone in Sheldon’s family forever.
One of the final season’s episodes revealed a disheartening truth about Sheldon’s father George suffering a fatal heart attack, an event that later on resulted in the whole show’s saddest episode ever. Despite the emotions prevailing on Young Sheldon’s set and in the scene as well, only one actor was restricted from showing his true feelings, and it actually made a lot of sense.
Season 7 episode 12, titled A New Home and a Traditional Texas Torture, ends with the Coopers finding out about their patriarch’s sudden death, something that was probably foreseen a long time ago given that the character also had a minor, yet still heart attack back in season 1.
The show’s most tragic plot twist turned out to be much more significant in real life than it was supposed to be, as according to Sheldon’s actor Iain Armitage, everyone on set was bawling their eyes out the day they were filming the episode.
Apparently, George Copper appeared to be the beloved character not only to the series’ fans, but also to its actors as well, since nobody wanted to let George and his actor Lance Barber go. Still, everyone, except Armitage himself, was allowed to express their feelings as they needed to, though this strict rule for the lead character was invented for a solid reason.
Following Young Sheldon’s finale back in May, Armitage opened up about the filming process and revealed that he couldn’t afford to cry after learning about his on-screen father’s death just because Sheldon himself would never do so. As many fans know, even younger Sheldon has always treated life seriously, feeling like there was no need to waste time on emotions.
The actor also added that he’d almost broken the rule once, but the show’s co-creator Steve Molaro had been quick to remind him of what he was supposed to do, saying, “It’s almost more heartbreaking if we don’t see any emotion on your face. You’re completely lost.”
However, Armitage clarified that saying goodbye to George wasn’t as hard as saying goodbye to George’s actor Lance Barber who always brought so much fun to the set.
According to Sheldon’s actor, having to film a dinner scene without Barber was a real struggle as the latter “brings such a light to the set … and he’s got such a big personality.”
