Penny and Sheldon

The Big Bang boom by Libby Slate

You've got to love a sitcom whose lead characters, Sheldon and Leonard, are named for an iconic comedy actor-producer, (that would be Sheldon Leonard).
And audiences do love The Big Bang Theory, sticking with the CBS Monday night show its first season through the writers' strike and this year, voting it the People's Choice Award as favorite television comedy.
The industry loves it too, Big Bang won last year's Television Critics Association Award for outstanding achievement in comedy and was named one of the most outstanding television programs of 2009 by the american Film Institute. Also, Jim Parsons was nominated for a 2009 primetime emmy Award as outstanding lead actor in a comedy.
The show about Caltech physicists Sheldon Cooper (Parsons) and Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki), their scientist friends Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) and Rajesh koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar) and aspiring actress-neighbor Penny No-last-name-mentioned (Kaley Cuoco), regularly scores as the most-watched comedy among adults eighteen to forty-nine and twenty-five to fifty-four and number two comedy among viewers overall.
For Chuck Lorre, co-creator executive producer with Bill Prady, the show stands apart from his previous creations (grace under fire, Cybill, Two and a half men), because, he says "There's a wonderful innocence to these characters. That's a very different element in a half-hour comedy. It's inviting. The guys have a naiveté that's really charming."
As for the entire cast, "they bring joy and enthusiasm to the work," Lorre says.
"They're a very supportive ensemble. There's a sense of community that shows up on- and off-camera."
That community showed up at a recent photoshoot at the Pentahouse of the Residences at W Hollywood. No divas here, despite the hips surroundings and cool threads — just the good friends getting the job done amid occasional chitchat and the display of a new iPad. After all, says iPad owner Cuoco the photo-shoot glam "isn't the real world."
Sounds like Penny is just as smart as the guys.

Growing up in Houston Jim Parsons wanted to be a meteorologist. "I'm still intigued by the drama of the natural occourrence of hurricanes," he says. "I lived on the Gulf Coast, and when Alicia was coming, I literally felt she was gaining strenght - she knew where she was going, and we were left."
He decided instead to find his drama on stage as a theater major, helping to establish a nonprofit theater company while still in college and later earning a graduate degree in theater.
So perhaps it's not such a stretch that he's now playing a different kind of scientist - or maybe it is. Asked what's funny about physics Parsons responded: "It certainly hadn't crossed my mind that there's anything funny about physics. To find something amusing, you have find something you understand - and with physics, I'm still baffled."
But even that state of being is helpful when it comes to portraying Sheldon, an individual with no sense of humor or irony. "It speaks to that disconnect that Sheldon has, an extreme disconnect from human emotion," Parsons adds. "It's very fun to play in the extremes of this character, to focus so wholeheartedly on it. I admire that dogged focus, but not to the point of ignoring emotion and empathy."
Parsons expresses his own emotions playing piano. He's also an avid baseball, tennis and basketball fan. Enacting such an extreme character is actually liberating, he notes, in part for his respect for the Big Bang writers, nurtured by his theater experience.
"The older I get, the more I love language," says the actor whose other credits include a recurring role on Judging Amy and the features Garden State, Heights and On the road with Judas. "I had it knocked into my skull early on to be faithful to the writer - not only the word, but the periods, the commas. By letting the writing be my guidepost. I feel very free to make choices."
His choices landed Parsons his first Primetime Emmy nomination last year. "It was unexpected. I hadn't imagined what it would be like," he reflects. "You felt like a sense of camaraderie that I never would understood before. It was fun - it had a celebratory aspect to it. It was such an exciting time."

Kaley Cuoco got a glimpse of sitcom fame early in her career, when she played actress Maureen McCormick in the television film Growing up Brady. Nowadays, Cuoco is making her own comedy mark as Penny, an aspiring actress and Cheesecake Factory waitress who lives across the hall from Sheldon and Leonard.
Despite her native southern California-blonde good looks and avid male fan following, she's fiercely protective of the guys in Penny's life. "They're not nerds," she insists. "They're not aware of the social side of life. Penny's brought them out in the world - even Sheldon's become more socialized."
Cuoco, an alumn of the ABC sitcom 8 Simple Rules, is also grateful for the viewers' embrace: "This show is so special to certain people - they live and breathe it. We all know it. That the fans have stuck by us."
A nationally ranked amateur tennis player in her teens, the actress now shows and jumps her three horses.
"They keep me grounded. When you're on one of these animals, you can't think of anything else." She's ready for her charater to try a new skill, as well. "I think Penny should work at a Sushi restaurant and have to dress like a geisha," she offers. "I have the idea that she happens to be a genius sushi maker."

Big Bang’s Jim Parsons teaches us the science of Sheldon by Matt Mitovich

That Jim Parsons does not yet have an Emmy planted on his mantle is as stupefying as, well, any of the physics equations ‘The Big Bang Theory’s set dressers scrawl on Sheldon and Leonard’s white boards. Who else could make someone so arrogant and insufferable so hilarious and loveable? On the occasion of Monday’s ‘Big Bang’ season finale (9:30/8:30c, CBS), Fancast invited Parsons to explain to us the science behind his creation of fiction as well as analyze the season-ending “romance” that some fans aren’t in love with.

Is it safe to say that Sheldon had a few drinks before speaking to the crowd at CBS’ upfront presentation last week?

No, but isn’t that funny? It crossed my mind, “Is that how it should be played?”

How long did you get to live with that ad-speak-heavy script?

Forty-eight hours. It was a harrowing experience. TelePrompTer reading is an art unto itself — especially if you’re used to theater or whatever, where your instinct is to naturalize everything and the exact opposite of that is to have an audience feel you’re reading something to them. That’s the beast we were dealing with.

What’s funny is that just as media types began tweeting that an opportunity was missed to have Sheldon meet “Captain Kirk,” with William Shatner also in the house… we in fact got that moment. Whose idea was that?

I completely didn’t think about that, and then somebody said to me they’d planned something. I was like, “I’d love to!” But I was nervous. I had never even met him before, and the first thing we do is share an embrace? But he is absolutely as charming and fun as he appears to be.

On a related note: Although Leonard Nimoy has announced his retirement from acting, I would think that if anyone can get him to do a cameo, [Big Bang' creator] Bill Prady can.

I would hope so, and I happen to agree with you. I think that Bill has some persuasive powers. And whether it would tug at [Nimoy's] heartstrings or not, we have certainly acted out a love letter to him over these years.

What did you enjoy learning about Sheldon this season?

What I enjoyed most of all was the flashback episode [that aired May 17]. We would rehearse the show for a week and they were forever telling me, “Go further back with Sheldon,” to highlight the effect that having someone like Leonard in his life has done for him, making him a more social creature. He had less eye contact with other people….

Yeah, it was like “Extreme Sheldon.”

Exactly. Like “Sheldon 2.0? — or “Negative 2.0.” That has been my favorite thing this year.

Brilliance in physics aside, how is Jim Parsons different from Sheldon?

I am so clueless about so many of Sheldon’s interests. That’s one of the reasons the Shatner connection didn’t occur to me. I don’t live in the world of graphic novels and comic books and ‘Star Trek,’ and I do not typically have trouble talking to people. Sheldon seems to lack empathy, if you will, while I take pains to understand where a person is coming from. Such things to Sheldon are over his head, under his head, to the side of his head….

As an actor, what’s the furthest you’ve ever gone from Sheldon?

I was once in ‘Wait Until Dark,’ the [Frederick Knott] play that was made into a movie starring Audrey Hepburn as a blind woman held hostage by this man (played by Alan Arkin), and that’s who I was. Your instinct is to think how different [a madman and Sheldon] are, and yet they’re both so smart. ['Wait Until Dark's Roat] was very conniving and able to work out the intricacies of a criminal situation, but he was also able to use his language and actions to frighten and elicit emotion out of people in a bad way. It was communication purely to elicit fear.

In the ‘Big Bang Theory’ season finale, Mayim Bialik (’Blossom’) is introduced as a love interest for Sheldon. That has some fans worried about bidding adieu to his asexuality, which they adore so.

Ok, I hear that. I will tell you that I can completely put those fears to rest, certainly for the finale. It is the most obscure, most un-pin-down-able meeting of two people you can ever imagine, a real ‘What’s going on?’ moment. To say that sparks fly would be to oversell it to the nth degree. In true Sheldon fashion it is not a “Love has arrived” moment. At one point I even asked Mayim, “Do you feel like you really know what’s going on here?” and she goes, “No.” I said, “Neither do I, so perfect.”

Whose acting do you admire?

Oh my god…. Tons of people….

Ok, let me rephrase it this way: Who, if their name is above the title, compels you to see a film?

I’ve been really fond lately of Robert Downey Jr. He personifies for me that wonderful combination of interesting choices, interesting ways of dealing with a script and his part, and being utterly honest at the same time. One of the things I enjoy about our show is we’re not trying to do comedy with a wink and nudge. It’s hopefully always humor born of honest awkward moments and misunderstandings.

CBS surprised many when they announced last week that ‘Big Bang Theory’ would move to Thursdays this fall. What was your very first reaction?

That change is incredibly hard. Like any human being, I look at change and I feel scared at first. But as I live with the information… I feel very optimistic about it. I eventually thought, “If this works out, it will be very exciting to open up a new comedy segment for CBS.” CBS has always treated us very well and shown confidence in us. [Pauses] But it’s weird! It’s weird to not be on Monday night. This is our fourth time slot in four seasons. But knock on wood, their track record has worked out very well.

Jim Parsons is a big hit on 'The Big Bang Theory' by Frazier Moore

Playing Sheldon Cooper isn't rocket science. Nor, for that matter, is it theoretical physics, Sheldon's chosen field as the science virtuoso of "The Big Bang Theory."

So says Jim Parsons, who plays Sheldon on that hit CBS sitcom.

"It's all right there in the script," Parsons insists. "I'm not trying to eschew credit or be falsely modest, but there's a part of me that feels like I didn't come up with anything. For me, for the most part, it's very clear: It's the words."

Fans of "Big Bang" (which airs Mondays at 9:30 p.m. EDT) might take issue with Parsons' self-appraisal, particularly after spending a cordial, non-Sheldony interview session with him. Granted, most people don't use the word "eschew" in everyday discourse, but for the most part, Parsons strikes a pleasingly impressive contrast to his sitcom alter ego, who happens to be socially challenged, nerdy, high-strung, blunt-spoken and beyond the pale in his devotion to science.

Parsons, on the other hand, has tried and given up understanding physics, is cheery and unassuming, and has a twinkle in his eye as he talks about the show. At 6-foot-2 and a young-looking 37, he shares Sheldon's lankiness, but not the uptight manner or Sheldon's goofy-sounding "gotcha!" substitute: "bazinga!"

All in all, it's an object lesson in his skill as an actor.

"Big Bang," concluding its third season this month, places Sheldon in a familiar sitcom premise: He shares an apartment with friend and fellow brainy CalTech scientist Leonard Hofstadter (played by Johnny Galecki, "Roseanne"). Geeky research chums Howard (Simon Helberg) and Rajesh (Kunal Nayyar) drop by with comically timed frequency.

And across the hall, by sitcom good fortune, resides Penny, a lovely blonde played by Kaley Cuoco ("8 Simple Rules") who aspires to be an actress but pays the rent by waiting tables at a Cheesecake Factory. She is notably not a genius.

If this thumbnail description sounds a bit by-the-book, Parsons wouldn't disagree.

"I said it from the beginning: From the description, some people are going to say, 'I don't care. I don't want to watch two nerds and their pretty neighbor.'"

Happily, "The Big Bang Theory" began life as much more. Then, under the tutelage of sitcom maestro Chuck Lorre ("Two and a Half Men") it continued to grow.

The creative evolution of the show might be framed in the same terms with which Sheldon received Penny's greeting, "How ya been?"

"Well," said Sheldon, literal as ever, "my existence is a continuum, so I've been what I am at each point in the implied time period."

Turns out, there was a point in Parsons' career continuum when even he wasn't sure how he felt about the show.

A Houston native who had had a recurring role on "Judging Amy" and appeared in films including "Garden State" and "School for Scoundrels," he arrived to audition for Sheldon having no clear reaction to the show overall.

He only knew from the script that he wanted to play Sheldon. "I wanted the chance to talk this weird way that he talks, and this odd way he communicates with people."

Bazinga! The role as this head-in-the-clouds science savant was his.

"Leonard wants to reach out and be part of the normal world. But Sheldon doesn't see the point, and in fact thinks the farther you can stay away from it, the better your work's going to be," Parsons sums up.

Meanwhile, Penny is sufficiently astute to find things to like in both these guys, eccentricities and all. She has the insight to appreciate their mental capacity, however far it might loom beyond her reach.

So does Parsons, by the way.

"They're not just nerds, they're not just geeks. They are geniuses! They're beautiful minds," he declares. "And I've come to find that, for me as an actor, playing Sheldon opens up anything. Things that he would think of, ways that he would act — anything's possible for me. It's very freeing."

The Big Bang Theory’s Jim Parsons on Twitter, parakeets, and Star Trek by Michelle Kung

During a panel at the Paley Center in Manhattan earlier this week, Jim Parsons — who plays uber-nerd Dr. Sheldon Cooper on CBS’s popular sitcom “The Big Bang Theory” — shocked the audience when he revealed that (gasp) he hadn’t seen any of the “Star Trek” movies. He also shared that, yes, he meticulously memorizes all of his jargon-heavy dialogue (even what he doesn’t understand) and relies on YouTube to help give him context about some of the famous sci-fi in-jokes his character utters (like Admiral Ackbar’s “It’s a trap!” from “Return of the Jedi”).

Both Judy Greer and Mayim Bialik (of “Blossom” fame) will be guest-starring as female eggheads this month. Are the writers determined to give Sheldon a girlfriend?

Judy plays a scientist that Sheldon’s invited to stay at the apartment, and she’s very similar to him on first blush. However, he quickly realizes she’s much more in touch with using her sexuality than he is, and his opinion of her drops from peer to just ordinary. Mayim’s character is much closer to matching Sheldon’s personality. They’re not mirror images, but they’re certainly talking at each other. I say this – because their meeting in the finale episode is so brief — I literally do not know where that scene is going. It’s the final scene and we only exchange four lines, so I guess it’s our version of a cliffhanger. The intent, I think is to carry over the story to next year, but your guess is as good as mine.

Bill Prady, one of the show’s Executive Producers, is an avid Twitter user, and frequently tweets with fans when each episode airs.

No one has a grip on these actual characters more than Bill does. A lot of that comes from his experience [as a computer programmer]. As such, he just knows as well as anybody why these geniuses are saying what they’re saying. I would be horrible at Twitter. I wouldn’t know the answer to fans’ questions half the time — and the patience involved! I couldn’t imagine. I did have a Twitter account that I tried for a couple days, but found I had nothing to say. There are some interesting facts I could share, but I don’t want to share that part of myself.

For your first major acting role since starting “The Big Bang Theory,” you’ve signed up for “The Big Year,” a comedy about three birdwatchers (played by Steve Martin, Owen Wilson and Jack Black) trying to spot as many species as they can in one year.

I grew up with two different parakeets — one that lived for five years, and one that lived for 13 years — so I always had a bit of an attraction to birds and it’s an oddly good fit to be in a movie about birdwatchers. When my agents first told me there was this movie about birders, I didn’t understand what that meant and thought they were actually saying bowlers. I ended up reading for two parts, neither of which I ended up getting, but they handed me another role: I’m going to play a birdwatcher who runs an aviary blog.

Given the success of the show, are you being offered more parts in films and other projects?

I want to say no, but it’s hard for me to judge because I’m not going in on more auditions. My hiatus timeline is so minimal, there’s only a select number of projects that I can go in for. I feel we did made more of a push this year. I’m a little sick in that regard because I enjoy going in and auditioning. There are also situations where you’re taking meetings, but I never know what to say that’s going to make them want to cast me. Though I could imagine things I could say for them not to want to cast me. Honestly, I’d rather just audition.

Is your current gig what you were expecting when you first moved to L.A.?

When I first started out in Houston, it was theater or bust. And I loved it. I still love it. And then I went to undergraduate and graduate school for acting. My choices in projects have all been character or role-based, and on a financial level, it’s obvious: as an actor on a TV series, I get a wonderful paycheck, and a consistent paycheck, which doesn’t always happen when you’re doing theater or movies. Both are hard in their own ways. Theater doesn’t pay as much and your show will come to an end, and nothing’s for sure in movies, unless you’re a huge star. Any money I’m making now, I’m trying to be frugal with it. Though when I was living in New York, I was fighting for the paycheck and I even enjoyed that to a certain degree. I don’t miss cashing unemployment checks and am not stupid enough to say that, but yes, to a degree, I enjoy the rat race aspect of it.

More bang for your buck by Angel Cohn

We like to think that we love all of the delightfully geeky brainiacs on The Big Bang Theory equally, but when the chance to talk to Jim Parsons came about, we got a bit giddy. Parsons is the Emmy-nominated actor who charmingly brings the neurotically nerdy Sheldon to life every week. We thought we'd get to chat about his chances of getting nominated again this year, find out what he thinks of the Sheldon/Penny shippers and maybe even get some dish on the last few episodes of the season — all of which we eventually did. But first the conversation took a bizarre turn after some bicoastal confusion and a shared suffering of motion sickness. Note: You probably will want to change your seat if you are flying with either of us.

Thanks for chatting with me today. I really am quite a fan of your show.

I've met you in person before. Right? Or is that not true?

No. I don't get out to California frequently and I don't really like to fly much.

Well, that's okay. I don't think the jet-setting life is really for most people.

Yes, I get motion sickness, and I read that you do as well.

Oh, awful. It's horrible! I'm normally pretty good on a plane. What's tricky about the plane, for me, is really the runway part, because it's impossible — actually, I'm getting a little sick thinking about it right now — but you know what I mean? Even if you're looking out the window, it's really confusing. And then turbulence makes me ill. The good thing is — I should knock on wood — I don't get scared during turbulence, like, I don't have those weird thoughts. I've never puked during turbulence, though.

Consider yourself very lucky.

Isn't that the worst feeling, though? There's nothing like it. And I feel like I'm on the verge of being able to control it, but then I can't. I'm like, "I feel like I can almost stop this from happening within me!" because it's such a weird sensation, like nothing else. But then I can't! It's out of control. Then you can take Dramamine, but then you don't wake up. You just sleep through whatever it is. I want to enjoy the part that I'm not sick through, not just be dead through it.

I usually sleep... Anyway, on a more pleasant note, congratulations on how the show's doing. And Emmy time is getting near — are you getting nervous/excited about whether you're going to get nominated again?

Oh God, no! I'm not nervous or excited. I think I purposely try to keep any feeling out of it. It always comes up, though. You can't avoid thinking about it. Now, I became a member of the Academy [of Television Arts and Sciences], so today I received my first "For Your Consideration" screener, and so that will be a constant reminder that the time is coming up, and never mind the fact that between the studio and your own publicist, you do sort of make you own little push, if you're gonna do it at all. So things will be timed to Emmy consideration, so it's there, but I don't know. I was really surprised last year [to get nominated]. And I've always said, when I watched award shows growing up, the unpredictable nature about it, how could you ever expect to get nominated? And I get certain people who have been nominated so many times, maybe, for a specific role or a category, I could see you'd be like "Eee! Hit in the gut!" if you weren't nominated, and I get that, that sounds bad — but besides that, I don't know.

So eight seasons from now, when you're nominated again...

[Laughs] There we go; your lips to God's ear! Exactly!

What did you submit as your Emmy piece?

I haven't had to yet. So I don't know.

That would be hard to pick. How do you decide?

Well, it's weird, because even thinking about last year, or the year before that, once you're not picking once it's over, like a few months away from it, you're like, "Big deal! Just pick one!" But I'm telling you, every time now — this'll be the third time I've had to do it — it does feel a bit harrowing. You're like, "I could do this, but was my part big enough?" And I don't even know all the considerations that go into it. The biggest thing I'm waiting on now is we've got four new episodes left to air, and I want to watch them as much as [from a] viewer [perspective] as I can, to give them a fair shake. And other than that, I don't even have one that I'm completely learning toward at this moment.

Have you finished filming for this season?

Yes, we finished about a week and a half ago.

Can you give us any hints about what to expect?

Oh, heavens yes! They're probably all boring details that have been released somewhere else. But I know that one of the ones coming up, we're going to go back in time a bit — not in a time-machine type of way — but show some history as to how some of the friendships came to be. How we all met. It was so fun! And I thought the writers, as usual, handled it so well and kept it both realistic, but interesting. I really enjoyed doing it. It was very difficult to play, I'll be honest with you, because Sheldon, as it turns out, has made some — and this is surprising to say — social strides since he met Leonard, which meant there was some backpedaling to do on my part in some of the execution of Sheldon's history. It was more challenging than I thought it would be. We would rehearse it. And basically I'd finish a run-through, all week long and they'd be like, "Go a little bit further, go a little bit further." But by the time we did to for the taping night, it was really fun to do and really fun to share that with the audience that was there. So that's coming up. And the other thing, which I know has been talked about some — but I feel it's interesting, because I found it still confusing even being finished with it — is how they go online and fill out a profile page for Sheldon for dating. And the dating site actually finds a match.

What does that match look like?

Well, it looks like Mayim Bialik! TV's Blossom! But we only meet up — I don't think I'm giving away secrets, here — but if anyone is looking to find out answers from me over what this means, I really couldn't tell you, which was perfect that it ended that way. But I said this to a friend of mine who asked me how it went: "I can't imagine anybody will be able to tell you what's about to happen, because I just played the scene and have no idea what's about to happen." I cannot imagine!

So it's a cliffhanger?

Well, our version of such. [Laughs] There's no life at stake.

It's not like an episode of Lost.

Exactly! But that being said, I'm kind of left in some cliffhanger every week, because I never know what is coming up, which is kind of one of the joys — for me at least — of doing this show. Sometimes you have more of a look into the future, like you'll know this is coming up, but they don't tell us anything. The only time I ever get close to getting inside information as far as what the next episode will be, is it'll be like, "Do you already know how to play a recorder?" and you'll be like, "What the hell are we doing with that?"

Right, like, "Do you have any aversions to ball pits?"

Exactly! And higher than they were before I did it, I'll put that out there right now. Those balls cannot be cleaned, as horrible as that statement sounds. There's no amount of cleaning to get those ball-pit balls to a satisfactory, lack-of-dirt-in-your-hair state. There's no such thing.

A lot of Purell?

Yes, but I cannot tell you; We would rehearse the ball pit scene, and I would go to the bathroom to wash my hands afterward. The sink water looked like — and I'm not kidding — it looked like you'd been working on your car, or something. Just the dark brownish-black that would be going down. And I'd be like, "That's disgusting." And then I'd wipe my clean hands, I'd dry them on paper towels, and I'd go ahead and just kind of wipe those across my face, and then I would look and go, "Ah! I'm pink where I just wiped, and now I'm gray everywhere else!" I just wouldn't be able to tell before I'd wiped my face, it was just like, "I'm covered in filth." And I'm not complaining, I'm just saying that if ball pits are beds of disease, I'm not surprised.

Keep your children out of them!

I would! Or, just bathe them afterwards and they're probably fine. But you know, that was the other thing: There wasn't any time to take a complete shower, which is really what you needed after rehearsing the scene. I'll tell you this, too: They're much harder to push through them underneath than it is in a swimming pool. There was the sensation I had when I would tunnel through them, but it was much harder and there was much more resistance than I thought. And I didn't think it'd be true, they're just hollow balls and I'd think water pressure would be more. And maybe it is.

Well, you practically had to swim in them for episode.

Yea, that's exactly what it was. It really is. Which I'm telling you, even though it was dirty: It was so fun!

I watched that scene like 10 times!

Did you really?

It was worth it. "Bazinga!" never fails to make me laugh.

I loved that whole idea. When we shot it, I talked to Chuck [Lorre] and Bill [Prady] right afterwards, because we had pre-shot it, since it'd be hard to capture that in front of the audience. And I was like, "That was such a good idea on Bill's part," and I really felt it was a big highlight of the advantage of kind of the base topic of this show being science. It's one more example of how if you can think of it, we can find a way to fit it in, in the way that science encompasses everything. We have almost this built-in excuse for wherever you want to go, as far as plot line and bringing a ball pit in. I think that's one of the fun things about playing these characters, too, they're unlike anybody that I've ever met or dealt with. It's hard to put any sort of, "That wouldn't happen," sort of "realistic limitations" on them — other than maybe super powers. Other than that, I don't really know what they're capable of. They're going to think of things and do things that I would never dream of. That makes it really fun.

Speaking of the crazy science; How hard is it to learn all that science jargon every week?

It's hard! I would be absolutely lying through my teeth if I said that was the easiest part of the job. It's absolutely the hardest part of the job. I like doing it. I guess it's a good thing, since I decided to be an actor, I do enjoy memorizing. I do enjoy spending the time alone, breaking down sentences and just rambling them over and over again until it is second nature. But it's every week, the same thing with it. And while I keep enjoying it, by the end of the season, you do start feeling a little brain dead about it. It's like, "Are you kidding?!" That's just the thing with all these characters, perhaps Sheldon to a greater degree; it's not natural speak. Beyond just the actual words being used — Just the formation of the words in a sentence! And the topics of conversation! People ask if there is a lot of improv on the set... Where would we start?! You know? If I lose my place, we're just screwed. We have to start over, I can't get us back on track. But, once again, in a sort of sick way, I really kind of enjoy that. It requires a certain specificity — and not to sound hopelessly deep about this — in the effort to execute this, in the need to be so specific about things, it once again opens up a lot of freedom. You have this very defined train track, if you will, and through these words and structured sentences, once you're riding on that track and secure on it, you're kind of free to add other colors and do other things. I'm telling you, I may just be a sadist, but I really think there's some enjoyment there.

There's this fan base out there that really wants to see Sheldon and Penny together. Do you have any thoughts about that? Do you think it would happen?

Well, I'm a big believer in never say never. And as I've already admitted, I don't speak with these writers, [so] I never know what they are going to do, but that being said, I would be jaw-dropped if that ever happened. You know, I go on both sides of going "that's insane" and "I totally get it." What I get about it is that is the very essence of what I think makes — and it's in many different shows, where you have a couple characters, where you put them together — what makes it enjoyable is that, in this case, they're so different. I've said from the beginning; the five characters in this piece these two are polar opposites of each other, her being most Earth-bound and tactile, and him being the most, literally, in his head. And that's fun! And just sticking them on stage at the same time, sparks begin to fly immediately because they're so different. So that, in that way of opposites attract, I completely get why it would be fun to go yin and yang where they could bring out the best in each other, whatever. Where I think it's insane — I shouldn't say insane — where I think the hope for it is off-base, I feel they've really developed — and again, it's hard for me to say, because I'm playing it — but I feel they've really developed a brother-and-sister-type-thing between the two of them.

I can totally see that.

Yea, it's not... I can't imagine — I think you do have to look really hard to find anything sort of any sexual anything that's happened with Sheldon since the show began. But especially in a one-on-one scene with Penny. An actual sort of physical thing happening?! I don't think so at all! He's seen more of her body when she got injured than Leonard has, and things didn't go anywhere. And the other thing is, if my wishes were listened to, I wouldn't want them to, because I personally enjoy playing that more sibling dynamic with her in the scenes than I would necessarily a romantic thing. I think in that siblings thing, there's a purity there. There's an innocence to them.

I know you said there's not a lot of time for improv, but is it fun on set? Is there a lot of cracking up?

It's very fun on set. And it's an extremely enjoyable place to work. I will say though — and there's a good deal of laughter and stuff — there's not a good deal of pranks. I was discussing this with somebody recently how the question of, "Are there a lot of jokes on set?" frequently comes up, and the answer is no! Surprisingly not! And I don't know what that's bred of. I think number one, everybody's trying to get the job done, is the big thing. And it's easy to say, "Well, we're just being very serious about our comedy," and I guess that's true to a degree. I don't know, I don't know what that's from. But we really get in and do our work. But we have fun! Being on-set is fun.

I don't think I would have been able to see everybody in all of the guys in their female superhero character costumes without bursting out laughing.

[Sighs] I don't know what to say to that, either. I'm trying to think, what was our reaction?

Well, you're all professional actors.

Well, that has nothing to do with it; we're all still hopelessly immature in our own ways. I think: We were all four crammed into the costume shop getting changed because we had to do it quickly. And you are sort of giggling and shocked seeing other people in their costumes. But for me, I was so concerned with, "Oh my God! How does this look?!" I'm not used to having anything near this on, and we're about to shoot this for TV. It's going to air, and there's a star right on my crotch! There's a certain — not horror — but you're very concerned. And even the hair issue! Like, I don't know what to do with this hair once we get out there! Do I need to be shoving it out of my face? Do I need to touch it at all? I don't know. And I'll be honest, one of the things is, something like that in the script is so.. it is what it is. There's not really any nuance to that. There's no finding the humor in this subtle moment. So I think part of that pressure lays on, where you're like, "I hope people don't hate this when we come out," because it's not like I can shake it up. It is what it is.

Are you working on anything else during your break, or are you just resting?

I'm hopefully going to rest a little bit. Between doing the press and stuff, it's amazing how far this season goes beyond stage time. And a couple of things I'm hoping will pan out. If they don't, a break isn't the worst thing in the world. But fingers crossed I'll get to work on something.

Are there any other comedies that you watch that you can tell us you're a fan of, even if they're your competitors?

Oh, I don't mind. I've really enjoyed — and I'm a broken record when I say this, because everyone else says it, too — but I've really enjoyed Modern Family. I just think it's fun. I don't feel like I get a lot of time for tons of TV... but I've tried to make time for that. And I know one of the guys on it, and I really enjoy it. I think it's really well done. And like I said, I feel like a broken record. But truth is truth.

Big Bang Theory's Parsons returns to Catastrophic by Andrew Dansby

The Catastrophic Theatre's annual gala takes place this weekend with a TV theme, but don't expect The Big Bang Theory star Jim Parsons to come in character as Sheldon Cooper. Parsons' presence is in part because the hit sitcom is on a break. So he's returning home (out of character) to be honored by the theater troupe that includes many of his old cohorts from the local Infernal Bridegroom theater group, with whom he helped stage Endgame, The Threepenny Opera and numerous other productions. He talked a little about his background here and his work on Big Bang.

Is there much asked of a guest of honor at a gala?

(Laughs.) I certainly hope not. There's nothing more harrowing than the possibility of failed expectations. I'm not the most social creature in the world. But I do expect I'll see a lot of people that I haven't seen in a long time.

Big Bang has been the rare show these days that was allowed to develop slowly over a few seasons. Do you guys feel lucky?

Absolutely. It's had a healthy climb in the ratings each season, so we never had the rug pulled out. Even immediate success can be bad; it can lead to a scary plummeting that makes people ask, “What happened?” Healthy is the word I'm using. It was a healthy approach that allows us to keep focused on our job.

It seems to allow you and the writers to fine-tune a character rather than desperately try to rejigger plot lines to attract viewers.

I couldn't agree more. And this show's writers are so good about that exact thing. One of the scary things and also one of the joys of TV is to create as you go. But I feel really fortunate to play this multifaceted character whose laughs seem to come not from some damaged place but something more complicated. He's a smart guy, to put it mildly, but he has some issues that affect his view of the world and his actions in it. It's so much fun to respond to that week in, week out. You get to trust the writers and see where they lead you.

Do you have a hard time calling your old Infernal Bridegroom cohorts Catastrophic Theatre people?

Of course I do. I force myself on any calendar to write “Catastrophic event.” … I remember my friend Tim, he was Timmy when we met. I was the last person in our circle that ended up calling him Tim. I couldn't help myself.

Do you think the good old days here put you on your path?

Yes. Honestly, I've thought about this more in the past few years since I've had steady work on this show. I really consider my acting education, if you will, in three distinct eras of my learning process. First, where I really dove in with all my heart was at the University of Houston, where I had a wonderful experience in every way, from the classroom to the stage to the group of friends I met. Then, related to that — and they slightly overlap — is working with Infernal Bridegroom. It was the first time I got to do Beckett and Brecht on stage, working in different venues, warehouses and outdoors and parking lots and theaters. Then there was my life in New York and auditions in places sometimes the size of a broom closet. And the third leg was grad school at the University of San Diego. But working with Infernal Bridegroom — now Catastropic! — wasn't part of my institutionalized education, but I put it there so evenly with my wonderful institutional experiences.

Are productions like kids? Can you not pick favorites?

Oh no, you can pick favorites. Though it can be hard to measure what you learn from each production. One of my favorites at Infernal Bridegroom was my first with them, Beckett's Endgame.

So you jumped in with something lighthearted and easy.

(Laughs.) Exactly, let's take this slowly. But it was an eye-opening experience for me as far as the way I felt about Beckett. Part of me understood something in this text that even to this day I can't verbalize what it was. It was a trying experience, and it was passionately focused. We were working in a warehouse, not necessarily the best conditions. So in a way it was a labor of love. I went through times in that production where I'd say to my roomate, “I'll never work with these people again.” (Laughs.)

People who leave Houston seem to have strong opinions about food when they're back in town. Any favorite places?

Yes, without a doubt. One of my favorite places to go was Chuy's. I still love going to Chuy's. I always order the cheese enchiladas with chopped onions on top. People always ask about old haunts. I'm not exactly a party animal, so I don't do club hopping. But I do like to go out to eat.

Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons looks back at his humble, local start by Sarah Rufca

Before Jim Parsons was the eccentric genius Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory, he was a founding member of Houston's Infernal Bridegroom Productions (IBP), performing in 18 plays with the group. Parsons also graduated from Klein Oak High School and the University of Houston.

With the talented IBP crew having reorganized as Catastrophic Theatre, Parsons is taking a trip back to town as the honoree Saturday night for Catastrophic Theatre's gala, "Big! Bang! Catastrophe!" at Houston Studios.

In advance of his glorious one-night return to the Houston theater scene, CultureMap spoke with Parsons about his Houston experiences and his beloved breakout character.

Tell me about your time at Infernal Bridegroom Productions. What did you learn from the experience?

The experience was very life-encompassing ... it really took over, and I threw myself into for a period of time. I went to undergrad at the University of Houston and graduate school at the University of San Diego, and the further I get away from those days the more I feel that my Infernal Bridegroom experience was on par with my traditional education in getting me where I am.

It gave me a chance to do a type of play that I wasn't exposed to at university, like Beckett and Brecht. Both of my university experiences were pretty straight and narrow, with plays in spaces that were very typical, as opposed to Infernal Bridegroom performing all over the map. More often then not we were in a warehouse or parking lot, whatever we could create a show in.

There were a lot of important lessons that I learned, including the ability to perform under any circumstances. You can only learn it by getting the chance to do it, to perform in whatever room, in front of whatever audience that you have. It builds confidence that's born of literal fact that you have done that. It's harder to throw me as an actor than it would be had I not had that experience.

You were nominated for an Emmy for Best Actor in a Comedy Series last year. In an ensemble cast, what makes Sheldon stand out as being so funny?

If Sheldon stands out its because, I think, Sheldon is a combination, an extreme example of some very humanistic traits. His obsession with his spot, that's a very normal thing, but what makes it not normal is his obsession. He's not trying to be rude, he's just stating a fact, but most people would find it to be rude to tell someone to move in their own house. That's what makes him so appealing as a character, he has these normal tendencies but they're so magnified, so extreme, and there's no one else like him on TV.

And these are geniuses, they aren't just nerds, they aren’t just smart, they have some of the brilliant, beuatiful minds that shape our world. And because he has such an exceptional mind, we allow him to go there. And theres a great freedom in that and a great joy in that. You have a very large color palette, which is kind of ironic.

As someone with multiple degrees, do you ever use your personal experience when playing Sheldon on Big Bang Theory?

You know, I'd be lying if I said I did. Maybe subconsciously … I really enjoyed the educational environment, my mother and sister are both schoolteachers — they teach first grade — so I think being in an educational environment is in my DNA. But the only thing that's ever consciously brought in is what (the writers) write. I know I bring something in, but very little is beyond what they put in the pages. They do a good enough job with saying who he is and having him say who he is.

How often do you make it back to Houston? Is there anything in town you always try to visit while you're here?

About twice a year, Christmas and summertime, and its usually very family-centric, with maybe a couple friends that I try and see. We always, end up at two places: Lupe Tortilla and Pappadeaux. When I lived here I don't think we had Lupe Tortilla, or it was new, but my family has started going there and I really like it. Mexican is my favorite kind of food, and I've eaten it wherever I've lived.

It's very different in New York and in California, but I like it all. But Tex-Mex is my favorite. I could take a trip and eat Tex-Mex every day.

Is it weird to be coming back as a special guest and honoree for the same people you started out with?

It's a little odd, but at the same time, if I can help bring attention to not just a theater group, but a group of people who have been important to my life and my growth as an actor, if I can bring attention financially, it is so my pleasure to try.

This has been for so long now such worthy work, both back when we were together and what they still do. It's a crucial part of a cultural theme in Houston. It fills a void, I got to work and people got to see things they wouldn't otherwise have the opportunity to see.

Big Bang Theory star Jim Parsons on his newfound fame, his Emmy nomination, and being typecast by Tyrone Warner

As brilliant physicist Sheldon Cooper, Jim Parsons brings to life a beloved, dysfunctional mastermind.

"The Big Bang Theory" follows a groups of geniuses who know all about how the universe works: except for women. When Penny, a Midwestern actress looking for her break in the big city, moves across the hall, she rocks their world — and learns to love their geeky charms.

Parsons was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series and won the 2009 Television Critics Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy for his work as Sheldon on "Big Bang Theory."

During an interview with CTV.ca, Parsons talked at length about his role on the series.

On how his life has changed with the success of "The Big Bang Theory":

It's the most, as an actor, I've ever worked consecutively and, therefore, the most I've ever made money acting in a row. And I hate to bring it down to such a base level, but — although other things have changed, and maybe I'll think of those that sound more interesting… Actually, the biggest thing for me still is that it's the most financial freedom I've ever known doing this job, which, you know, isn't that interesting because everybody who knows that I'm on TV knows that. But that's the fact of it.

It's the little things like that that trip me up the most. Like I remember when we first started airing, like they would have billboards up for us. Or, like, homemade T shirts or whatever or — I don't know. It's the times I don't expect it that it really takes me off guard.

On being recognized by his fans:

I do run into lots of people in the street, it's true. And, you know… that’s weird. The only time it's a little strange for me is if I'm out shopping or especially if I'm in a restaurant eating and I realize that I've been spotted and somebody is looking.

I've learned to do is just go, "Don't worry about it." It's taken me a long time, and I can't do it all the time, not worry about it, because it feels weird, especially if you're eating.

On how much of Sheldon is "written" and how much is his own creation:

Well, in a literal sense all of it is written; all of it's dictated. I'm not stupid. I realize that everything they've written is going through, you know, my own sick filter. So it is being executed by me. And never mind the fact — and this one is impossible to pinpoint — we've now been working together for three years essentially, so they (the writers) hear us. They're writing for us. You know what I mean?

Like not necessarily about our lives or whatever, but rhythms and "What would sound good coming out of their mouth?" essentially. I put full blame, if you will, on the writers every time, though. I really do. I — once again, I understand that it's going through my interpretation of it, but to my own foolishness sometimes, I always feel like I'm executing exactly what they said to.

And part of the reason I feel that way is because it's a safety net for me. I feel very secure. I'm able to really kind of let go and get into it because it's their invention and I want to execute it to the best of my ability. So I guess the answer is sort of I don't know.

I don't know how much I'm affecting what it is. It's evolving, but I don't write it. So other than the doing of it, which is really hard to stand back from at the same time you're doing it, it's kind of hard for me to understand what effect I'm having on that evolution and that they're just taking on your own.

On struggling with the technical dialog on the show:

It’s a very fun struggle. I can literally feel my brain going, "Would you knock it off? Enough." But I still love it. I'm lucky that we tape on Tuesday nights as opposed to being a Monday-through-Friday show. So I get to rehearse Wednesday. I get to rehearse Thursday. I get to rehearse Friday and then Saturday and Sunday. And sometimes I don't need it as much as others, but some episodes, I really do. I'm able to be alone with just those words and just kind of pace around my house and really get it in.

But once again, it's frustrating at times, but it's one of the great joys for me. And from day one of auditioning for this, I loved it. The audition was not — was not easy to get yourself through. It was like, "Oh, my God" — but fun in that kind of puzzle-solving way of going, "No. How does this work? Where is this rhythm they've written in here? Where's the funny in this? Where's the humanity in this technical mumbo jumbo" or just things I just don't identify with naturally? But I enjoy it. And I think, once again, they do an excellent job of — it's not — it's not an impossible mystery or puzzle. It's there, you know.

On who is smarter in real life: himself or his co-star Johnny Galecki:

Honestly, we're all different from each other. I think it's one of the things that, from the first casting session between the two of us, worked. And I don't know why. There's a yin and yang about us, not only as characters written, but as human beings. I've said it in the beginning, and I don't mean it in a mean way, but there was no reason to believe that that would work between the two of us.

We're very different people. Going back to it all going through the filter of my own brain, whatever is happening with the filter of it through his brain, it's kind of nice. I think it's the same way that its fun seeing Sheldon and Penny together, you know. I could trip out my brain for days trying to think of how every actor in this show — how the script goes through their brain. What are they thinking? It really makes my head hurt just to even talk about it. I can't even imagine. But it's very interesting that we all get to that point of Tuesday night taping and we all have to do it. But I don't know what they do to get there, you know. Pray? I do sometimes.

On feeling extra pressure due to his Emmy nomination:

I guess we all feel our own pressures in one way or the other, and maybe there's something. But I would be making it up if I said specifically I felt any sort of, like, change. I don't feel very different — going back to how I felt about the character from audition one. In some ways, it is what it has been. You know what I mean? And certainly for me and my feelings about it and my approach to it, whether it's an episode where Sheldon-heavy or it's an episode where he gets to sit back a little more in the group, I feel — other than maybe having a few extra hours on the weekend not to memorize, I feel pretty much the same about it week in and week out, you know.

I was nervous about going (to the Emmys), and I don't even know why. There was just something on-the-spot feeling about it. Chuck Lorre was talking to me about it. He texted me about it. It was just like, "Enjoy this," you know. And I'd kind of gone through it in my own head. I did feel oddly, a little nervous just about going, but then there was a part of me that was like, "Don't be" — "don't be an old man and look back and go, 'Well, I wish I would have enjoyed that. I worried my way right through that time of my life.'" What a waste. And like I say, I was thinking that already. And Chuck, just out of the blue, kind of said, "Whatever happens, just have a really good time." Because if you're not, there's no point in that, you know. You're not — it's not even working on an episode. And maybe that was part of the pressure in a situation like that. There was nothing to work on. There was nothing to do. You're just supposed to show up and put on a tux. And then there's going to be a camera in your face, and it's going to be really close on you when they announce Alec Baldwin's name.

And — but, you know, as it turns out, that's really about the hardest part of it, is just that moment – my palms are sweating, thinking about it. Right before it happens is the worst part, because as wonderful as it would be, then you'd have to get up and talk.

On the roles he’s played before "Big Bang Theory," and being worried about getting type-cast as a geek:

I did a lot of theater, you know. A whole lot of theater. So I played a lot of different kinds of characters. As far as worrying (about typecasting), I'm sure that it will happen to a degree. One of the problems is not only does somebody see you every week as a certain character, but if you haven't gotten the chance to audition for them or they haven't seen anything else you've done, then they don't know anything else you've done. That's just a basic fact of life.

As far as worrying about it, though, I don't. And it's really twofold reasons why. Number one, other than doing my work and trying to find things to do that could change opinions, there's not that much I can do about it. All I can do is what I'm — keep working, you know. And the second thing of it is whether it's — whether I ever get to do TV again, whether I ever do movies, whatever I do, I know, just from how I feel and how I've always been, I will continue to work. Whether I'm doing a one-man show in my mother's backyard somewhere, I'll find something to do. And in that spirit of it, no, it doesn't worry me.

On how Sheldon is going to progress as a character on "The Big Bang Theory":

I've actually heard the producers say this before: Very, very slowly. Basically paint drying. It is fun to have hopes and dreams for these characters in a way, both as an actor and as an audience member. But there's a reliability factor about them that I don't want them to change too much. You know what I mean?

The most common question that comes up is "Will romance ever happen in Sheldon's life?" or whatever. And A, I think if it does, it won't be in the near future. But B, I think we could handle it in a way that could be very smartly done and protect the essence of the character and just simply add dimensions, you know. And that's one of the great joys about being on a television show that's able to stay on the air, is that you get a chance to be developing these characters.

And if I'd have heard that phrase a few years ago, I would have had a different view of what that meant. I would have thought that I would be more aware of the development going on. Good or bad, I find myself less aware of the development going on because I'm part of it. But you do start backlogging these histories and these characters, and they become these things. And so then I think eventually you can add some sort of slightly dramatic element that's different for them — in his case, maybe it would be a romance or whatever — and allow that to affect. I think what you don't want is to have anything that would dilute the character in any way, you know. And God forbid we normalize Sheldon or whatever, because why would you?

Bazinga! Sheldon Speaks by Jenna Busch

The Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons tells us what's in store for our favorite TV geek.

If you had any doubt that geek culture has taken over, check out the numbers for The Big Bang Theory. The writing celebrates our obsession with The Green Lantern, reminds us that we are not the only ones who can say hello in Klingon and keeps us laughing at ourselves. Even the Emmys have taken notice.

I just spoke with Emmy Award nominated actor Jim Parsons, who plays socially awkward — but eminently loveable — theoretical physicist Sheldon Cooper. Parsons tells us his theory on why the show is such a hit, when and if love will come to Sheldon and working with co-star Kaley Cuoco. "She's a wonderful verbal dancing partner," he says, though he tells us he is far better at bussing tables. He also gives us a sneak peek at this week's episode. Hint: It involves a ball pit at Chuck E. Cheese.

I love the show and I watch every week. And I keep thinking about all the people who said the sitcom was dead. You guys seem to have completely revived it. What do you think it is about the show that turned an entire show style on its ear?

Well for one thing, I don't think there is any reinventing of a wheel going on here. You know what I mean? I don't think anybody's trying to do anything around here that is in any way changing the old school of thought with the traditional multi-camera sitcom. And that may be one of the biggest things we have going in our favor. We're trying to simply execute as well as possible, a format that's been around. That's been related to live theater.

My thing, and I've always said this, and I'm not trying to defer attention or anything like that, is the writing...I've heard it said that it's a writer's medium, and I completely believe that...and in our case specifically, we only have what they bring. [Laughs] We can only play with what they've written, as it were. And we're in a very fortunate circumstance where what they're writing is sincerely funny, you know? And maybe 'sincere' is sort of the key word there. There is a great sincerity in what we're doing here...in deference to the format itself. We're trying to do nothing that different than anything that's been done before. But we're trying to do it as best we can.

And then to these characters...We're trying to be as sincere with them and their situations as we can. Yes, sometimes you'll have a laugh at their expense, but more often than not, you only buy yourself that opportunity because, more often than not, we're celebrating these characters. The writers and the actors all have a sincere affection for these characters. Because they're so fun to play. They have so many wonderful and fun qualities about them.

You mentioned celebrating the characters. You guys have been so embraced by geek culture. I think it's not just the terms that you use, etc. I think it's that you guys have such a great affection for your characters.

Absolutely. I think that's completely true.

You must get asked constantly about how geeky you are. I'd read about your Star Wars figures and how you want an invitation to Hogwarts...

Right.

Do you guys ever feel pressure...I mean, the geeks have sort of made you their standard bearers.

I don't and it may be blissful ignorance on my part. Or it's just not affecting me. But I really don't. What's funny is, some of their more geekish, nebbish, fanboy qualities, if you will, which I can see on the surface what a big part of the picture we're painting, they are. And so much of the humor has come from that, and so much of who they are in a day to day way. But I have to say, in the playing of it and in the feeling behind it, it seems so secondary. I don't know. I feel like, in some ways, these people would be who they are, almost entirely, even if they didn't have any of those qualities. If they didn't read comic books. If they weren't Star Trek and Battlestar fans, or whatever. It's a happy side bar. It's extra colors that are laid on top of these really, really smart guys. And I guess that's it. At the end of the day, when it comes back to square one, the heart of the story is that we're dealing with four geniuses. To varying degrees. I think Sheldon is probably the smartest. [Laughs]

I was thinking about some of your more complex lines, and I had read that the writing really helps you, but that you do sit down with notecards. I'd also read that you play piano. I'm wondering if being a musician helps you memorize. You really do have a rhythm to your speech.

I feel like it must. I do think of the scenes and this dialogue very specifically in a musical way. And it's much more self conscious, I have to say. I am able to consciously realize that I'm doing it. The way that they're writing this, and it's what I felt from day one with this...it wasn't the story that grabbed me, though it was lovely. And it wasn't even the characters themselves as far as who made them what they are. When I first saw the audition sides for this show, I really wanted to leap at the opportunity to get to execute this dialogue. And it was all about the rhythms they put in there. And one of the things the writers are so good at is utilizing, not just scientific terms, but especially in the case of Sheldon, just so many damn words in general, but putting them in a format that has a song to it.

I think there is a musicality to any conversation in general. Some a bit more melodic than others, depending who you're talking to. [Laughs] It's most especially accentuated here. It's definitely highlighted, maybe in any comedy. But most certainly in this one, I think. And it's one of the great joys. And it's one of the ways in which, as an actor, in this show at least, I know when something is not going right. Nine times out of ten I'm right about it. Because suddenly you can't access the rhythm. And either they're about to rewrite something that's going to make it fall into place...or you've got more days of rehearsal and suddenly you're going to feel it...I frequently say, 'That scene sings like a song.'

You know, Chuck (Lorre) was a musician who wrote songs and at least one Top 40 hit for Blondie, I believe. I think any comedy writer has a certain rhythm and I think that Chuck, specifically, has a very...[laughs]...he knows how to make the twenty-two minutes of television play by in the right way. I think it's the reason that his shows repeat so well in audience numbers. Because I feel like the stories are good and the things you discover the first time you watch the stories are lovely. But perhaps its best quality is that the episode itself goes by like a song. Even if you know what's going to happen because you've seen it once or twice before, it's still so much fun to watch. And I think that has to do with the rhythm of it. It's like a favorite song. You know the song, you know where it's going, but it's still enjoyable because you like hearing certain notes hit. You like hearing certain rhythms hit.

I agree. This is a show I would want on DVD, because it really is something I'd watch over and over again.

Thank you, first. And secondly, I agree with you. As much as I'm able to say that without sounding like a complete snot. [Laughs] It just turns into a really good time. And that's not to take away any stories or depth that's actually there. It's all there and it's all good. But at the end of the day, what makes it repeatable...it's fun.

One of the things fans have reacted to the most are the scenes between you and Penny (Kaley Cuoco). What is it about your chemistry?

Well, I think what it was bred of, coming into the first season, and especially hitting its stride in the second season is that...they are the North and South poles of...all five regular characters on this show. I don't know which is which. [Laughs] They're just polar opposites. She's so earth bound. She is our everyman...and Sheldon is the most heady of the characters. The most, I don't want to say without his feet on the ground, but in the truest sense of the word, his life, his existence is absorbed in his head. I think that is the biggest ingredient of it. No matter what you do at that point with your characters, it's going to be a good time, because they're polar opposites.

But then I have to say, I had never worked with Kaley before I did this show, and we started doing these scenes together, and for whatever reason, I just...it's such a satisfying time working with her. It is, aah. I can't put my finger on it, always. But me, as Jim, I have such a good time working with her as Kaley, the actress. And speaking to her through these characters' voices and having her speak back is just...to bring it back to the music thing again, it's a wonderful dance. [Laughs] She's a wonderful verbal dancing partner.

Another thing people have really responded to are the scenes with Sheldon's mom (Laurie Metcalf). Will we see any more of that this season?

I certainly hope so. [Laughs] You have to take the good with the bad, I guess is what it is. The reason I think the scenes are so damn good is because Laurie is such a gifted actress. The problem you have, working with a gifted actress is that she's always working. So both her and Christine Baranski...it's hard to find available times for them! [Laughs] Because they're so good, everyone wants to use them in some way. So I really feel like a combination of whether a storyline occurs to the writers and is she available for it...she certainly knows her way around acting in general and certainly she has done plenty of the half hour work in TV as well. She just couldn't be an easier fit when she comes over here. She's just a good person, you know?

You know everyone wants to know if you think Sheldon will ever find love.

Yeah...I want to guess yes, but I honestly don't hold out a lot of hope. The reason is very specific. I've been part of panel discussions with Chuck Lorre. With Bill Prady. And they have professed that...if these characters change at all, it's going to be very slow. At the rate of watching paint dry. And...I've heard Chuck say this a few times, he has a real aversion to...I think he views Sheldon finding love or the desire for Sheldon to find love as a bit of an attempt to normalize Sheldon. And see the more normal side of Sheldon and oh, he is like us. [Laughs] He's very interested in continuing to celebrate how different Sheldon is than the general populace. And he really likes exploring this version of Sheldon, where Sheldon has essentially kind of opted out of the romance scene. He's not taking time for it. In fact, he's kind of deemed it something that for him, at this point, is sort of a waste of time. There is so much more for him to do, he sees, specifically in science in this case, but whatever.

I hear what he's saying and I actually love what he's saying. And I love making those odd choices, those smallest percentile of the populace choices for Sheldon. But I don't think everybody necessarily wants to see Sheldon normalized. I think that they've done such a wonderful job of creating a character that people have a fondness for. And I think wanting to see Sheldon find love is the same thing as wanting to see Sheldon taken care of in some way. Someone to help him along through things that he obviously stubs his toe through, socially...but that brings me back to why I don't think it will happen. It's half the fun of playing this character...all the situations where he is on his own and he is clueless. It's such a dichotomy. He's a genius and then to get to go through those circumstances where he is clueless...using his big brain for every possibility and just failing, failing. [Laughs] Failure has never been so fun.

I also think that those moments where Sheldon does something sweet for Penny...I think they have more impact if you don't have him doing that for a girlfriend all the time.

Yeah. I would agree with you. It does add a lot of weight to it. They've done such a good job of executing, and I feel, letting play this Penny and Leonard (Johnny Galecki) relationship...they did go against the traditional format in this way. We're not hanging on 'will they, won't they.' No. They're doing it. Let's see what happens. And as far as that relates to giving Sheldon any romantic interest, I think it opens...for the reasons we just said, and others...a much bigger can of worms. And you have to be prepared, I think, as writers and a cast if you're going to dive into that. You can't short change yourselves or anybody else. You can't go in and go, 'Ooh, this isn't working,' and hit reverse as fast as you can with the storyline. I think there is a lot more ground to cover that doesn't require us to jump in there just yet.

But what the hell do I know? I'll be honest with you. I never know what story they're going to deliver. I will not know next week's story...we're going to go on hiatus after tonight. We will come in for a table read on Wednesday morning, and it will be Tuesday night at nine o'clock at night before I even get sight of the next script. [Laughs] They won't tell me a thing. Unless they need to ask me something for my safety, like, 'Are you able to ride a unicycle?' Which they have asked. And I said, 'No, but I'm willing to learn.' It never came up again. That was over a year ago. I'm grateful. [Laughs] I've heard it's dangerous.

Yeah! I would think so! [Laughs]

How could it not be?

And I hear you're diving through balls in Chuck E. Cheese in the next episode.

Yes, and might I say, it was one of the finest ideas the writers have had. Such a simple thing. But it goes back to what I said about the science. Wow! We can end up there. I won't tell you how we end up there exactly. But it's through science that we end up at Chuck E. Cheese in a bunch of balls. [Laughs] I had so much fun doing that scene. It wasn't easy! I was really surprised at the lung power it took to fight your way through a ball pit like that. It felt very much like swimming but there was a lot more, it felt like to me, a lot more force to get through to do that. It was very fun. Very colorful.

I hear you also bus tables at The Cheesecake Factory?

Yes. And may I say that Jim as an actor is better at doing that than Kaley as an actress?

Really?

Yes! I had those plates on my arms and I said it out loud one day. I didn't even think about it. 'Better than Kaley.' [Laughs] And you know...it took me longer in life to hit success than Kaley, so perhaps I had more opportunities to perfect dishes on arms and stuff like that. I don't know.

Beauty and the geeks by Paige Albiniak

As initially conceived, there was no Penny, the lovable girl-next-door on CBS' top-rated comedy, 'The Big Bang Theory.' There was just a super-sarcastic neighbor named Katie who was mercilessly mean to her super-geek neighbors, Leonard and Sheldon.

But test audiences despised that character, and the show's producers went back to the drawing board.

After the rewrite, producers brought back in Kaley Cuoco to read for the role of Penny. Cuoco, who, at the time, was best-known for her role as the eldest daughter on ABC's '8 Simple Rules,' had auditioned to play Katie, but that part wasn't right for her, she says.

"The second-time around, the producers and the network were so on it with me. They told me that Penny had to be wonderful, loving and sweet and the audience had to adore her," says Cuoco, 24.

Cuoco nailed it, getting through the audition process in two days, and today Penny is the glue that holds "The Big Bang Theory" together.

"Penny has always been the audience's point of view and the ambassador into the world of our guys," says Bill Prady, one the series' executive producers.

Penny, an aspiring actress who's waitressing at The Cheesecake Factory, lives next door to two brilliant but socially inept physicists, Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Sheldon (Jim Parsons). While most women would ignore guys like this, Penny is "completely wonderful to them from day one," says Cuoco.

In fact, one episode finds Penny applying menthol rub to a sick Sheldon's chest while he begs her to sing "Soft Kitty" to him as his mother once did. She rolls her eyes several times, but she does it.

"Penny handles Sheldon like no one else," says Cuoco. "She's wonderful and sweet, but she also has a backbone. She says what's on her mind."

This season, Penny and Leonard — the less geeky of the two roommates — became a couple. While the pairing seems unlikely, Cuoco says the fans seem to like it.

"I love the Penny-Leonard hook-up. And I love that they didn't wait eight seasons to get them together," she says. "But I have a feeling it won't last. If I were writing the show, I would say that it wouldn't last long."

Conversely, 'Bang' fans want Penny and the socially-oblivious, germ-phobic Sheldon to get together. "It's a very strange idea," says Cuoco.

Asked if a woman exists out there for Sheldon, Cuoco says, "No. Unless it's like a robot that Sheldon builds and can control."

Over the course of her three-season run on 'Big Bang,' Cuoco has become a favorite of geeks who wish someone just like her would move in next door.

"They are a little obsessed with Penny, really," she says. "I have definitely not known any men like this in my own life — these guys are on another dimension. They are full-on brilliant, genius boys."

The California native has been acting and modeling since she was six years old. Her big break came with '8 Simple Rules,' when she had just turned 16. A modest hit on ABC in 2002, the show struggled after star John Ritter died of an aortic dissection just two episodes into its second season.

The show went on for two more seasons without him. "Doing that show for one season with John Ritter is an experience I'll never forget," Cuoco says.

After '8 Simple Rules,' Cuoco played Billie in the eighth season of 'Charmed,' a role she enjoyed, but working on a one-hour drama reminded her why she prefers sitcoms.

"Dramas require 18-hour days where you want to kill yourself," says Cuoco, who is single. "You can have a life while you work on a sitcom, and I'm selfish. I love my life, and I like to do other things besides work."

With "Big Bang Theory" attracting nearly 16 million viewers each week, Cuoco can expect a long-run playing the girl next door. Asked why she thinks the show is a hit, she says, "The characters are really lovable, and the writing is brilliant. The guys couldn't be more innocent, but there's also a little bit of sass to it."