Following their decade-long stint in The Big Bang Theory, many felt the main cast, who played science nerds onscreen, might’ve learned a thing or two about the subject. This rumor garnered more traction during the mid-2010s, especially surrounding the show lead Jim Parsons and his costar Johnny Galecki, but per Kaley Cuoco, things were a little underwhelming in reality.
In 2016, Kaley Cuoco finally set the record straight, stressing that in this case, reality didn’t exactly mimic fiction, as she went on to debunk all the rumors.
Playing Scientists Didn’t Educate Them on the Subject in Reality Per Kaley Cuoco
It’s not hard to see why some fans might feel the main cast’s experience in The Big Bang Theory would educate them on the subject, as they had to engage in science-fueled discussion on a regular. However, this wasn’t the case for the Jim Parsons-led show, as despite getting better in their job with each season acting-wise, per Kaley Cuoco, they didn’t learn anything about science.
No… I would like to pretend I could, and the guys on the show like to say they’ve learned things… they haven’t learned anything. It is all bs. I mean we have real people there who have actual real brains who write all of that stuff. We, not so much. We just say what’s on the page and do the best we can to get through.
While this may be true for most of them, including Parsons, who ended up nabbing a Noble prize in the show, there was one exception, Mayim Bialik, who played Amy.
Mayim Bialik’s Scientific Knowledge Aided Jim Parsons
Before making her TBBT debut as Amy, Mayim Bialik earned a bachelor’s degree and a doctorate in neuroscience. Moreover, her introduction in the sitcom even took the weight off Parsons’ shoulders, who was required to spout rapid scientific monologues regularly during the first three seasons.
This took a major toll on the actor’s health, who even quit drinking for nine years as a result of it, even though he had no prior issues with alcohol abuse.
He shared:
I became more relaxed with the process and more willing to go into certain scenes on a tape night not having quite the at-home rehearsal time behind me that I spent the first many years going through
While the rest of the main cast, apart from Bialik, might not have learned a thing or two about science throughout the show’s entirety, this didn’t hinder their portrayal of the science nerds.
