“Three-page-long monologue”: When Young Sheldon’s Iain Armitage revealed how he landed the role of Sheldon Cooper

Iain Armitage showcased immense talent at a very young age with his nuanced performance as Sheldon Cooper in Young Sheldon. The actor, who was only nine years old when the CBS show started in 2017, had a big responsibility on his shoulders as he had to carry forward the legacy of Jim Parsons, who played the elder version of Sheldon in The Big Bang Theory.

Iain lived up to the legacy and became a household name playing the child prodigy across seven seasons of the sitcom. In a 2019 interview with Mashable, Iain talked about how he landed the titular role in Young Sheldon. Recalling that he had to memorize a long monologue for his audition, the actor said:

“The audition happened in Georgia, during my vacations. And, I had a three-page-long monologue that I had to memorize!”

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Iain Armitage once recalled his audition process for Young Sheldon

Iain Armitage revealed that he had to audition for the role of Sheldon Cooper in front of Jim Parsons and series creators Steven Molaro and Chuck Lorre. Talking about the experience in his interview, the actor said:

“I got a callback, and when I came in, Jim Parsons, Steven Molaro and Chuck Lorre were all there, and I just did my thing!”

Iain also opened up about how he kept a straight face during the funny scenes in the show and stated:

“As for the funny dialogues, I’ve managed to not laugh most of the times, but there are some scenes where I keep cracking up and I cannot stop!”

When asked if he had watched The Big Bang Theory to prepare for his role, he replied:

“It wasn’t meant for my age so I didn’t really watch a lot of it. Though I did watch a couple of clips to help me prepare for my role. I’m glad that TBBT fans will keep watching our show and loving it.”

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Iain Armitage’s journey on Young Sheldon

Iain Armitage grew up on the set of Young Sheldon. He was nine years old when the first season aired and was about to turn 16 when the show concluded in 2024. As the titular character, he portrayed an academically gifted child who had a keen interest in science and mathematics.

His genius was often misunderstood by his family members, and he often found himself in socially awkward situations. Though Sheldon loved his family, he sometimes looked down upon them due to his superiority complex. Iain played all these shades of the character with perfection.

At the end of the show, Sheldon left his home and moved to California to attend college at Caltech at only 14 years of age. The show's star cast also included Zoe Perry, Montana Jordan, Lance Barber, Annie Potts, Raegan Revord, Emily Osment, Matt Hobby, and Wyatt McClure.

Apart from Young Sheldon. Iain has been seen in shows like Big Little Lies and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. His film credits include I'm Not Here, The Glass Castle, and Our Souls at Night.

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