As a recurring guest actor on The Big Bang Theory, one of Wil Wheaton’s favorite cameos involves an amusing mistake. In an episode that’s also one of Big Bang Theory actor Johnny Galecki’s favorites, season 3, episode 19, “The Wheaton Recurrence,” Wheaton, who plays a delightfully evil version of himself, is the captain of an opposing bowling team. He cunningly exploits the tension in Penny and Leonard’s relationship to sabotage the game so Wil’s team wins. Wheaton very much enjoyed this episode, even if it involved him making a bad miscalculation prior to the shoot.
Before filming began, Wheaton chose a beautiful (but too heavy) blue bowling ball to throw during the episode. It turned out to be a mistake, as he was stuck with a 17-lb. ball for all 13 hours of shooting that day. But, despite, or maybe because of, this mistake, the day remains one of the Star Trek actor’s favorite Big Bang Theory cameos. In an interview (via The Express), Wheaton said that day was full of fun moments and great banter, particularly with Sheldon. Moments such as when Wil tells Sheldon to “embrace the dark side” and Sheldon yells back that “That’s not even your franchise!” are now iconic. It’s clear that Wheaton can laugh at himself, which makes it easier for others to laugh with him.
Why Wil Wheaton Has So Many Favorite Cameo Scenes
In the same interview, Wheaton named a few of his other favorite cameo moments in The Big Bang Theory. The first was a moment in season 9, episode 11, “The Opening Night Excitation.” Wil, and all the guys except for Sheldon, got into the opening of a new Star Wars movie, leaving Sheldon incensed. The Big Bang Theory sci-fi icon enjoyed this moment as he improvised the whole thing, and hadn’t given the cast or crew any warning. The shocked and amused reactions from the room were entirely genuine. In fact, he enjoyed this gag so much the actor appeared at the 2017 premiere of The Last Jedi in a Star Trek uniform as a joke.
The third Big Bang Theory cameo he mentioned as a favorite is from season 12, episode 15, “The D&D Vortex,” where he plays a D&D game with some of his real-life famous friends. Wheaton is a notable Dungeons & Dragons geek in real life, so he enjoyed being able to show off his hobby on The Big Bang Theory. Unlike the other silly banter in the cameos before, there is a serious moment where the actor scolds the gang for trying to use him for his connections to other famous people. It is clear that he really does worry that people only like him for his connections and not for him, which makes it a powerful moment in a show that is loved for its friendships.Wheaton’s enjoyment of his Big Bang Theory cameos makes the scenes even better. No matter how good they are, if an actor feels disconnected from the part they are playing, that lack of feeling trickles into their performance. It’s clear from Wheaton’s performance with the cast of The Big Bang Theory that he is connected to the performance and the cast alike. They, in turn, also like having him around, and this adds to the overall sense of camaraderie of the show. This comfort level definitely makes it enjoyable for a fan of The Big Bang Theory and Wil Wheaton himself to watch art imitate life on the longest-running multi-cam sitcom in TV history.
