Breakout Star Jim Parsons Realizes Comedy Offers More ‘Bang’ for the Buck

[Zoneboy]

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Everybody knows a Sheldon.

But no one will claim to be one.

That’s what actor Jim Parsons has learned.

Parsons plays the fastidious physicist on CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory” (tonight at 8 on WBZ, Ch. 4).

In the series’ second season, the somewhat grating, truth-telling Sheldon has emerged as the breakout character.

That’s something Parsons, whose biggest credit before “Bang” was a recurring spot on “Judging Amy,” never expected.

“All I knew is that I wanted to play that guy. He’s special,” Parsons said in an interview from the show’s set in Burbank, Calif.

The producers of the popular sitcom are wary of letting Sheldon, who tends to speak his mind, come off as mean.

“The somewhat unspoken collaboration between us - me, (executive producer) Chuck Lorre and the rest of the writers - is simply that we have to walk up to the line. We cannot cross it,” Parsons said.

“We’ve had to go through scenes where we’ve had to correct (things) on the spot. . . . Sheldon can observe something in a situation, maybe get snarky about it, but it can’t be malicious.”

The Houston native grew up loving the sitcom format.

“I spent a lot of time with the TV, and 30-minute sitcoms were my favorite thing in the world,” Parsons said. “I used to time things by them. The drive to grandmother’s would take us two ‘Mary Tyler Moore’s.’ ”

Filming the show in front of a live audience brings Parsons back to his theater roots. He earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Houston and a master of fine arts from the University of San Diego, both in theater.

“The only acting I could do when I was younger was theater, and this is the closest thing to it,” he said.

Parsons realized at a young age that he could make people laugh.

“There was a certain defense mechanism in my very early life where I didn’t know where I stood socially in a classroom,” he said. “I remember the feeling of knowing that I was able to say things and diffuse the situation, and I can do it for myself and I can do it for other people.”

His high school drama teacher encouraged him to audition for a production of “Noises Off.” That sealed his fate.

“That was the first major time that I keyed into that I have a way into comedy. I understand. It was a wonderful learning experience as an actor.”

[tv star collector]

Thanks for posting. Big Bang Theory is my favorite sitcom currently on
television. It is always hilarious, and Jim Parsons' character Sheldon is a key
reason for the show's success.