Kunal Nayyar Admits His Constant ‘Breaking’ on The Big Bang Theory ‘Pissed Off’ His Costars
The actor said it was often impossible not to laugh while filming the beloved series
Fans found The Big Bang Theory funny, and it turns out the cast did, too.
Kunal Nayyar recently revealed that he frequently could not keep a straight face as his character Raj Koothrappali while filming the hit CBS sitcom.
In an episode of The Official Big Bang Theory Podcast that premiered on Monday, May 12, Nayyar, 44, told host Jessica Radloff about his dilemma of breaking “all of the time.” The actor said he often found his character too funny to stay composed, requiring more takes of certain scenes.
“I was the worst in the beginning on the show,” Nayyar said. “I broke all the time. It really pissed everyone off, but I couldn’t help it. I don’t know why.”
The cast of the widely popular 12-season sitcom included Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper, Johnny Galecki as Leonard Hofstadter, Simon Helberg as Howard Wolowitz, Kaley Cuoco as Penny, Melissa Rauch as Bernadette Rostenkowski and Mayim Bialik as Amy Farrah Fowler.
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Nayyar’s astrophysicist character Raj was the best friend of Howard. And Nayyar said it was frequently impossible for him not to keep cracking up while on set with Helberg, also 44, too.
“Simon is a genius. You know what I mean?” Nayyar told Radloff.
Nayyar said his costar had a way of saying things just the right way to make even a “simple line” send him into a fit of laughter.
“Just the cadence in which [he said] ‘Friday works for me,’ ” he continued, imitating his colleague. “Like, it was so beautifully musical and just ridiculous. He’s a genius. It was very hard for me to keep a straight face. They probably cut away because I started laughing, and then they cut back, and I look a little like I’ve just been trying to, you know, not laugh out loud, basically.”
It was just five years ago that the cast filmed their 279th episode, marking the beloved sitcom’s final show, in front of a live studio audience in May of 2019. Nayyar appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres Show just days after to discuss his rollercoaster of emotions following the end of a remarkable era for him.
“I don’t think there’s any word in any language ever written that could describe what I’m feeling,” he said. “I’m feeling all of it. I’m feeling sad. I’m feeling exhilarated. I’m feeling tired. I’ve cried out, I’ve laughed out, it’s all of it.”
