The Big Bang Theory went out with a bang over a year ago. Thankfully, we still have the cast to keep us company.
Some of our faves include Kaley Cuoco and, of course, Jim Parsons, the man behind the annoying-yet-lovable Sheldon Cooper.
While he may not say “bazinga!” as his signature catchphrase, he did once play God on Broadway. He also lives in Robert Pattinson’s old house.
Here are 10+ other interesting facts about the star.
Jim Parsons hasn’t hopped off the train of fame thanks to *The Big Bang Theory*. It launched him into stardom and he has been enjoying the ride since!
But even though he is crazy famous, people still don’t know a lot about the star!
We are here to help! Let’s get into all these interesting facts about Parsons!
1. He started acting at the age of six:
He starred as the Kolokolo bird in a stage adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s The Elephant Child .
He carried this love of the theater with him as he attended an exclusive post-graduate, two-year course in theater acting.
2. His audition for *The Big Bang Theory* was almost too good to be true:
It was clear he was meant to play Sheldon Cooper.
When he auditioned , Chuck Lorre, producer and writer of the show, was so impressed by Jim.
But he also thought that it was a fluke.
Just in case, Lorre asked Jim to come back for a second audition. He wanted to see if Parsons was the real deal or not.
As we all know, he was.
3. He’s the reason *The Big Bang Theory* ended:
Say it ain’t so.
Production designer John Shaffner told Metro , “Warner Bros and CBS wanted to sign for about two more years.”
He said that Jim Parsons had been in touch with Chuck Lorre over the hiatus week.
Parsons had said he couldn’t come back and do any more seasons.
“And Chuck had always said if one member of the cast left the show then the show would have to end.”
So when the cast got together for a quick table read midway through Season 12, only Chuck and Jim knew that the show was going to end.
4. He once played God on Broadway:
Sure, Sheldon acted liked he was God sometimes on The Big Bang Theory .
But the actor actually played God on Broadway in 2015. This was for the show An Act of God .
5. He lives in Robert Pattinson’s old house:
Celebs living in each other’s houses is nothing new. Parsons lives in the swanky pad in Los Feliz.
He was used to the area since he bought a house there with his first The Big Bang Theory paycheck.
6. He and his partner, Todd Spiewak, received a GLESN’s Inspiration Award in 2013:
The award was presented by the LGBT young advocacy group for being inspirations in the gay community.
How sweet is that?
“If we’re inspiring at all, it’s that we’re a very average, normal, just-moving-right-along-with-our-lives kind of people,” Parsons said about the award.
Parsons and his boyfriend have since married .
They had an intimate ceremony in New York City in 2017.
7. His favorite song is Joni Mitchell’s “Down To You”:
Yep, it’s not “Soft Kitty.”
“It’s a very old song, off her album Court And Spark, and it’s like a little movie every time I listen to it. I find it very moving,” he told Entertainment Weekly .
8. He made his animated debut in film in 2015:
He starred as the toothy purple alien named Oh in the DreamWorks film Home .
Voicing an animated character was ” scary ” for the actor at first. “I had so much self-doubt the first time I saw him.”
“And in fact, the first time I saw a few playbacks in early animation, I still felt very uncomfortable with it.”
He continued saying to EW :
“I guess I’ve grown used to seeing and hearing myself in general, but to have my voice disembodied like that and put in this little creature just seemed so very, very wrong.”
9. He is good friends with Rihanna:
The pair bonded on the set of Home .
“I wouldn’t say we’re BFFs, but it has been the easiest and most organic time spent together,” he told Entertainment Weekly .
He continued: “She’s such a joy to be around. I will say, I think I have been maybe a little irritating.”
He even has a fav song of hers: “What’s My Name.”
“She said at one point that it gives her chills when she hears me sing her songs. And not in a good way. You should see the look on her face when I take my tone-deaf [expletive] to her music.”
10. He had a theory as to why *The Big Bang Theory* was so popular:
I mean, it was a show about nerds.
“There’s not anything to keep up with… You can enjoy our show without a weekly appointment,” he once told New York Magazine .
Also, the set was cool: “It’s a bit of eye candy in its own way … Maybe it’s just fun to look at.”
Right up to its final episode, the show was watched by over 18 million people every week.
11. He felt lost after *The Big Bang Theory* ended:
“It was only a few months after [it] had ended. I’m not going to tell you what I was looking for, because I didn’t know,” he told The Globe and Mail .
“I thought I’d know it when I saw it,” he continued.
Thankfully, American Horror Story’s Ryan Murphy soon came along and approached him about starring in his Netflix series called Hollywood .
“Then Ryan came along and that’s all I needed to know,” he explained.
12. His acting teacher didn’t believe that he would make it:
Acting director Rick Seer of the University Of San Diego said :
“Jim is a very specific personality. He’s thoroughly original, which is one of the reasons he’s been so successful. But we worried, ‘Does that adapt itself to classic theater?'”
Jim sure showed him!
13. He admitted to *Time* he didn’t immediately think gay marriage was important:
“I had an evolution on my feelings on gay marriage, in that I didn’t logically see the importance of it. One of the things that changed my feelings on that was when I thought about, ‘Oh my God, part of the reason you feel this way is because it was never a possibility and so you never dreamed about it.'”
14. He used to be very scared of saying “hello”.
While he has no idea what might have caused the feeling, or what made him believe he would get bullied for it, it kept him from being confident for quite some time!
15. He believes the world still has a long way to go when it comes to accepting LGBT people:
“Is it as bad as back in the ’60s, when even publications like The New York Times were writing demeaning things about homosexuals? No. It is obvious in many, many ways that the world has changed,” he said to Hemispheres.
“But there are still plenty of forces in the world who make it known they have disdain for homosexuality, or that it’s wrong—even in the kindest versions of saying “Hate the sin, love the sinner,” which doesn’t make me feel very good. There are still so many people who, when they come out, don’t get the best reaction, even with well-meaning parents who love their children.”
“I think that’s a lot more prevalent than people want to admit. I’ve never felt the need to hide with my coworkers, but I don’t believe show business is in any way typical of what’s going on in the rest of the world.”
16. Before he made it on *Big Bang Theory* he was working day jobs to get by.
Which most actors had to do to make it in the business! After all, we all have bills to pay and we all have to start somewhere!
He worked as a cashier, took roles in commercials, and worked as an editorial assistant.
17. He is not as polite as people think he is:
When asked by Hemispheres about when he isn’t polite, he responded :
“Anytime I feel I’m witnessing or being treated in an unjust way, I get very angry. But actual confrontation is pretty rare. Even today, we were shooting a scene and I’m foolishly trying to do two jobs at once, so I’m sure my brain is tired, and it’s also the end of [filming] the season.”
“Normally you can just memorize the science words and it flows out, but when it doesn’t, and you start stuttering over it, you can feel the circuitry in your brain breaking apart.”
“I don’t know what the hell Sheldon is talking about, in any deep sense, and sometimes, like today, it leads to an absolute breakdown. Luckily, everyone there is very kind while you’re throwing a fit. There’s unpleasant footage of anyone who has ever done work in front of a camera, and I don’t know how long they hold this in the vault until they air it for all the world to see, and I’ll have to go on an apology tour.”
18. He does not believe Sheldon has any type of disorder:
In fact, he even went to the writers to confirm it! They just wrote him in their own vision.
But of course, fans can approach the character in whichever way they want! That is the beauty of television.
19. He has moral values:
What do I mean by that?
Well, he refused to take any of Sheldon’s clothes from the set because he knew it would be stealing. No matter how badly he wants them, he doesn’t give in!
20. The death of his father allowed him to reflect on what he wanted out of his life:
It was actually one of the reasons why he chose to leave The Big Bang Theory .
He knew he had other things he wanted to do and try, and he didn’t want to die before he could accomplish those things.
Do you know any other interesting facts about *Big Bang Theory* star Jim Parsons?
Or were you pleasantly surprised by all of these facts we presented you with?
Either way, let us know down below in the comments section! We would love to hear from you!
