Iain Armitage never really wanted to be an actor. The young star revealed to Vulture in 2017 that he fell in love with theatre after watching “Hairspray” as a 3-year-old. While Armitage was still a toddler, he started his own YouTube channel, Iain Loves Theatre, to share his thoughts about his favorite musicals. In a few short years, the youngster’s uplifting and adorable reviews caught the eye of mainstream media. And, in 2015, the young theater critic sat down for a chat with Steve Harvey for “Little Big Shots” and wound up interviewing the host instead.
Somewhat surprisingly, Harvey wasn’t the only celebrity that Armitage chatted to that year since the YouTuber also got to speak to several big names when he filled in for Perez Hilton on the Tony Awards red carpet. As Armitage interviewed Bryan Cranston, he adorably shared that his mother had bought his tuxedo from Amazon. He also impressed Josh Groban by informing him that he could play his track “You Raise Me Up” on the piano. However, that wasn’t Armitage’s only surprising revelation from the night since he later told Joshua Bergasse that he could tap dance.
Although the little one’s talents naturally caught the eye of Hollywood agents, Armitage admitted to Vulture that his family was initially hesitant about letting him pursue a career in Tinseltown because they were all too familiar with how showbiz could gravely impact child actors. As a result, the Armitages turned down several offers to sign him, but they eventually joined an agency that addressed their concerns appropriately. Needless to say, his acting career took off in no time.
Fans may recognize Iain Armitage as Ziggy from Big Little Lies
While speaking to Vulture in 2017, Iain Armitage proudly confirmed that he only had to do one video audition to bag the role of Ziggy in hit show “Big Little Lies.” Meanwhile, in a 2019 interview with W magazine, the actor recalled how his bond with his onscreen mother, Shailene Woodley, started even before their first day on set together, saying, “We FaceTimed her before we filmed the first ‘Big Little Lies,’ and she said that acting is like being on a giant playground, it’s so fun, you’re going to have so much fun, and from the very start she was like my real mom.”
Although their work on the HBO series ended in 2019, Armitage and the “Divergent” star remained supportive of each other. In December 2024, we enjoyed a throwback pic of Armitage and Woodley that showed how grown up the “Young Sheldon” star was. After the actor watched his first onscreen mother in a Broadway play, he took to Instagram to share a snap of them backstage alongside a couple of photos from their days working together. In the caption, Armitage reminisced about their show and praised Woodley’s performance.
Meanwhile, the “Descendants” actor gushed about her young co-star during a January 2024 appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” noting, “He’s so smart and wise. It’s just been beautiful to watch him grow.” While Armitage may have got his big break on “Big Little Lies,” he actually made his small screen debut with a small part in a 2017 episode of “Law & Order: SVU.”
Iain Armitage hadn’t watched The Big Bang Theory before auditioning for Young Sheldon
In a 2017 chat with Entertainment Tonight, actor Jim Parsons confessed that Iain Armitage’s initial video audition for “Young Sheldon” completely floored him. The young performer’s ability to stand out among the crowd was only made more impressive by the fact that he had to read a lengthy and complex monologue. During a 2018 Entertainment Tonight interview, the “Big Bang Theory” alum detailed how the audition even required Armitage to do an impression of William Shatner, who played the lead in the original “Star Trek” series.
Although the beloved sci-fi show aired well before the prequel’s star was born, he still managed to do a phenomenal job. “It was just trial by fire: if you can’t do this, you can’t trust him,” Parsons explained of the demanding audition process for his younger onscreen counterpart. Suffice it to say that Armitage’s performance left no room for doubt that there was somebody better suited to play a young Sheldon Cooper. However, his incredibly accurate portrayal of the character only seems more impressive based on his revelation to Business Standard in 2017.
“Well ‘Big Bang…’ isn’t really appropriate for me, plus it’s not really aimed at my audience level. So, I only watched a few clips,” Armitage disclosed. “I haven’t really watched ‘Big Bang…’, though I would love to see it.” Moreover, the child star credited Parsons for being such an outstanding mentor, who helped him grasp Sheldon Cooper’s character in no time. Armitage also shared that he usually stepped into his character’s shoes by practicing his lines and modulating his voice during hair and makeup on-set.
