‘TBBT:’ Jim Parsons Reveals His Favorite Aspect of Sheldon Cooper
Jim Parsons – the man behind the beloved Sheldon Cooper – is often deemed “the face of The Big Bang Theory.” Making several million dollars for each passing season, the actor, while working with a dedicated team of fellow performers, writers, and producers receives a large portion of the media attention concerning the show.
The only lead actor to win an Emmy for his performance on the sitcom, Jim Parsons has won the prestigious television award four times for playing Cooper on the CBS primetime series.
The character, though functioning in a comedic role, is not an easy one to portray. Merely remembering the scientific jargon is a challenge in and of itself, but then Parsons has to realistically convey the character’s persona and slow boiling narrative arc.
Fans love Sheldon Cooper for his attention to detail, social and cultural unawareness, stringent personality, and scientific genius. However, above many other factors, fans have enjoyed watching Sheldon grow throughout the series. Though struggling with empathy until the very end, who could have foreseen a relationship with Amy Farrah Fowler in season one?
Jim Parsons sat down for an interview with Variety to discuss the show, how he feels about it coming to an end, and what he connects to and loves most about the character he portrays.
Jim Parsons appreciates Sheldon Cooper’s “lack of sentimentality” on ‘The Big Bang Theory’
During an interview with Variety, Jim Parsons was asked, “What has been your favorite part of paying the character over the course of all these seasons? The element that you’ve enjoyed throughout the run that always keeps you excited to go to work?”
Jim Parsons, drawing upon all the years he has spent playing the character, explained to the interviewer:
“In a very specific way, one of my very favorite things about this character is his sort of lack of sentimentality. I don’t mean to sound unromantic or unsympathetic, but I cannot stand sentimentality, and I feel very lucky to be playing a character that, nine times out of 10, when something sentimental is happening in a script, I get to be the one to burst that bubble. And that gives me such great pleasure, I cannot tell you.
And I guess in a general way it relates to the thing that I loved about him from the moment I read the pilot, and for nine years now, which is just enough level of cluelessness to get away with saying some of the most outlandish and inappropriate things. For my money, one of my favorite types of humor is people not understanding the situation and plunging forward in it. And as an actor, it is just really fun to get to do that, to get to say inappropriate things and, frankly, to have a character who comes by it honestly, who’s not trying to be mean.”
Variety
Based on his response, fans should take note: if you ever meet Jim Parsons, he’s not a fan of sentimentality. Who knew that Jim Parsons shared such a vital attribute with Sheldon Cooper, one so inherent to the character he portrays? Maybe, this is why Parsons has won so many awards; the character is not completely disparate from his own personality? Though, it’s likely Parsons is a lot less accidentally mean.
With the series finale of The Big Bang Theory on the horizon, as you prepare to say goodbye to the characters you have come to know and love, be sure to watch Parsons in the Netflix original Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, which is currently available for streaming.
