“Isn't appropriate for me”: When Young Sheldon’s Iain Armitage revealed why he did not watch The Big Bang Theory

Looking at Iain Armitage’s amazing performance as the titular protégé in Young Sheldon, fans would have thought that the actor prepared for his role by watching The Big Bang Theory. The child actor had to fill in the shoes of Jim Parsons, playing a younger version of Sheldon Cooper in the prequel series.

While Iain was able to create magic on screen and perfectly imbibe the physicality of the character, the actor did not even have an idea about what The Big Bang Theory was before signing onto the spin-off.

In a 2018 interview with the media outlet Stuff, Iain revealed he never got to watch the original CBS sitcom as it was not appropriate for kids. However, his mother eventually let him watch a few episodes that were suitable for his age to prepare for his role:

“I hardly knew what Big Bang Theory was. It really isn't appropriate for me. But I watched some of the episodes that my mom said were OK just to see what it was about."

Young Sheldon’s Iain Armitage once talked about having no idea about The Big Bang Theory

Iain Armitage debuted the role of Sheldon Cooper when Young Sheldon premiered in 2017. By that time, the elder version of the character had already become a fan-favorite due to the success of The Big Bang Theory. Talking about how he approached the role, Iain said in his interview:

“I try to put myself in his [Sheldon’s] shoes. By the way, his shoes are super awesome. They are the exact kind of shoes I would wear. He's like an awesome person. He has a kindness about him. He's like a floating cloud.”

The actor also talked about how his parents agreed for him to be a part of the show. Revealing that they want him to stay grounded, Iain said:

“As long as I stay the kind of boy that I am and keep my end of the bargain, I can do it. We do have talks sometimes. I have a great mother, she's good at reminding me how to be a good person.”

Iain’s mother, Lee Armitage, is a theater producer. She accompanied her son during the interview in 2018 and stated that she was a little skeptical about how Young Sheldon would keep her son occupied in his formative years, but she allowed him to join the show considering his excitement:

“That amount of time is so much of his life. But he was so excited about it. So we made a pact that as long as he likes doing it – and as long as we see it's not negatively affecting him – he can do it. If it doesn't work for our family, we'll talk.”

Iain played the titular role in all seven seasons of Young Sheldon and became a household name. He also earned several accolades for his performance, including a Young Artist Award and a Kids' Choice Award.

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The actor made his fiction TV debut with an episodic role in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. He then appeared in Big Little Lies before shooting to wide fame with Young Sheldon. His film credits include I'm Not Here, The Glass Castle, and Our Souls at Night.

Young Sheldon and The Big Bang Theory are available to stream on Max.

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