Iain Armitage recalls how breaking away from Jim Parsons’ The Big Bang Theory version helped him get cast in Young Sheldon. The child star was just 9 years old when he started playing the young version of the socially inept genius in the CBS prequel series. Now, Armitage, alongside his co-stars, is already gearing to kick off Young Sheldon season 6, which is set to premiere on September 29.
It has been five years since Armitage began his stint as the titular character of Young Sheldon. Admittedly, there was initially skepticism about his casting. Parsons had been so great in the role, inhabiting it for a decade already when his contemporary was chosen to play the younger version of the character. Ultimately, however, Armitage has been able to establish himself as another definitive version of the beloved geek, and it’s all because of his creative decision to break away from Parsons’ iteration on The Big Bang Theory when he auditioned for the part
Armitage recalls his experience trying for the lead role in Young Sheldon in a recent guest appearance on The Creative Coalition podcast. He reveals that he intentionally didn’t impersonate Parsons from The Big Bang Theory when he auditioned, and he believes that was what landed him the role. Read Armitage’s full quote below:
Because I wasn’t really trying to replicate Mister Jim, I think I was sort of just showing that I was a kid who could take direction and also bring some of my own idea to it. I think that was kind of what they were looking for, and not as much just a complete impersonation of Mister Jim.
Casting Armitage was the most integral part of launching Young Sheldon. Without him, it would have been so much more difficult to sell the idea of The Big Bang Theory spinoff. It’s worth remembering that when the idea was first announced, not everyone was on board with it, and some are still skeptical of Young Sheldon, especially given its usually lax approach to preserving continuity. But, despite all of these issues, one would be hard-pressed to find anyone who isn’t enamored with the way Armitage has played young Sheldon Cooper in the CBS prequel. The child star has been able to establish himself as another definitive version of the character alongside Parsons’ take.
As Armitage grows up in Young Sheldon, expect that his version of its titular character will slowly merge into Parsons’ iteration from The Big Bang Theory. More than the child star’s ability to execute this gradual transformation, many are more worried about how CBS is going to bridge the narrative gap between the comedies, especially since the projects still have several plot inconsistencies to resolve. In any case, the spinoff has two more guaranteed years to do this, which is arguably enough time to tie all loose plotlines at this point.
