For Jim Parsons, playing the brilliant yet socially awkward Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory was a masterclass in acting. But even for a four-time Emmy winner, meeting his character’s real-life idol, Stephen Hawking, on set brought a wave of unexpected embarrassment. Parsons, despite knowing Hawking genuinely enjoyed his cameos on the show, felt profoundly “inappropriate” putting one of the greatest minds on the planet into a sitcom scene.
“I was really uncomfortable. I thought, ‘This is not right!'” Parsons recounted in Jessica Radloff’s The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series. His discomfort stemmed from a stark contrast he perceived between his performance and Hawking’s actual genius. “I have been faking how smart I was to play Sheldon by saying the lines other people wrote but I didn’t know what I was talking about, and now I am face-to-face with the smartest person on the planet!”
Parsons was struck by Hawking’s formidable presence, even as he communicated through his famous voice synthesizer. “There was so much life and information coming through his eyes and that was amazing,” he added. This profound encounter with genuine intellect left Parsons humbled, highlighting the unique challenge of portraying a genius when you’re simply delivering lines. It was a moment where the actor’s self-awareness briefly eclipsed the character’s confidence, offering a rare glimpse into the man behind Sheldon Cooper.
