“Brains, Heart, and Humor: Zoe Perry’s Secret to Bringing Mary Cooper to Life”

When Young Sheldon cast Zoe Perry as Sheldon’s mother Mary, The Big Bang Theory spinoff continued an interesting sitcom tradition that predated both shows. It is not always easy for sitcom spinoffs to recast iconic characters. When Young Sheldon was green-lit, it was obvious that Jim Parsons couldn’t reprise his role as The Big Bang Theory’s persnickety antihero. Young Sheldon’s entire appeal came from the show’s promise to explore the early life of its eponymous lead character, meaning Sheldon and his family needed to be recast with younger actors. Finding a new face for Sheldon was tough, but replacing his family was arguably even harder.

While Young Sheldon broke The Big Bang Theory’s canon repeatedly in its first few seasons, the show still took an admirable stab at recasting the earlier hit’s heroes. Young Sheldon fleshed out characters like Sheldon’s mother Mary and his sister Missy, both of whom were more one-dimensional in The Big Bang Theory. Since they played larger roles in Young Sheldon, these characters got more focus and more screen time, allowing them to shine. However, this inevitably put more pressure on their actors. The Big Bang Theory’s versions of the Cooper family left the Young Sheldon stars with big shoes to fill. Fortunately, Mary’s replacement had an advantage.

Young Sheldon’s Mary Is Zoe Perry’s Second Time Playing A Laurie Metcalf Roleb

Young Sheldon casting Perry as Mary Cooper marked the second time that Perry signed on to play a younger version of a character originally portrayed by her real-life mother, Laurie Metcalf. While Young Sheldon reused The Big Bang Theory actors on occasion, the show’s creators took a subtler approach when hiring Perry. Perry had previously played a young version of Jackie Harris in her screen debut, Roseanne season 7, episode 19, “All About Rosey.” As Metcalf’s real-life daughter, Perry was both a dead ringer for her mother and great at recreating her mannerisms.

Perry isn’t the first actor to play a young version of her parent’s character, either. This has become something of a casting tradition. For example, Tina Fey’s daughter, Alice Richmond, brought to life a child version of her 30 Rock character. Meanwhile, Glenn Close’s daughter, Annie Starke, portrayed a younger iteration of her character in The Wife. This type of casting situation is surprisingly common, perhaps because it’s the easiest way to capture what a star would look like at a younger age.

Why Zoe Perry Is Perfect As Young Sheldon’s Mary Cooper

While Perry’s resemblance to her real-life mother made her perfectly suited to playing Mary’s younger self, this doesn’t mean that Young Sheldon’s Mary Cooper was a carbon copy of The Big Bang Theory’s iteration of the character. Paradoxically, Perry’s resemblance to Metcalf allowed the actor to play a very different Mary while still maintaining an obvious link to The Big Bang Theory‘s take on Sheldon’s mother. Since the two characters look so alike, it is not as jarring when Young Sheldon’s younger Mary acts differently. The Big Bang Theory’s spinoff made Mary Cooper’s younger set more naive and less bitter than her earlier incarnation.

Perry and Metcalf’s similarities mean that Young Sheldon and The Big Bang Theory’s versions of Mary both feel like the same character despite having vastly different personalities. This allows Young Sheldon to take bigger risks with Mary, making the sardonic, spiteful character from The Big Bang Theory into a more innocent, optimistic figure in the spinoff. If Young Sheldon‘s Mary was as mean to everyone around her, as she was in The Big Bang Theory, this would feel off-putting. However, since Mary is surprisingly sweet in Young Sheldon, The Big Bang Theory’s spinoff can show viewers what she was like before and elicit sympathy for the character.