Known for starring in the hit CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, Mayim Bialik has enjoyed a remarkable career that began as a child actress in the late 1980s. She appeared in several films and led the sitcom Blossom before stepping back from prominent acting roles.
The hiatus seems to have left her somewhat disconnected from the pop culture landscape, which seemingly became evident when Bialik later admitted that she didn’t know about Jim Parsons when she secured the role of his on-screen partner, Amy, in the sitcom.
Mayim Bialik Did Not Know Jim Parsons Before Starring in The Big Bang Theory
In 2010, Mayim Bialik made her debut on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, introduced as a potential love interest for Jim Parsons‘ character, Sheldon Cooper in the Season 3 finale.
The debut was followed by her becoming a series regular, joining the main cast. However, before she joined the show, the actress was totally unfamiliar with the sitcom, as she admitted in an appearance on The Howard Stern Show.
“I had never seen it,” the actress said, stating that she did not watch TV and was unaware of what the show was or what it was about. She further explained,
I had never seen The Big Bang Theory. I had heard about it because they mentioned me, the real person Mayim Bialik, but I thought it was a game show when someone said ‘Oh, they mentioned you on Big Bang Theory.
The actress further stated, “I didn’t know who Jim Parsons was.” However, despite her lack of knowledge about the show, Bialik auditioned and successfully landed the role of Amy Farrah Fowler.
Mayim Bialik Opened Up About Her Journey Back to Hollywood
During her conversation with Howard Stern, Mayim Bialik also reflected on her journey in the entertainment industry, her hiatus, and her eventual return with The Big Bang Theory.
“I was on a TV show when I was 14 to 19… and then I actually took 12 years off backtrack,” she shared. Talking about how she got into the show business as a child, she said,
There was a tremendous amount of emotional and psychiatric stuff floating around in my family. So I was a manager of emotions. And what my parents did is they, they literally, my mom said, “I’ll open the Yellow Pages. We’ll see if there’s a kid’s agent that wants to handle you.”
Bialik was picked up by the same agent as Neil Patrick Harris and soon landed several acting roles, including the NBC sitcom Blossom, which had a significant impact on her life. She opened up about how the show instilled a fear of being perceived as an “unusual” or “weird” kid.
The actress also shared how her conservative upbringing and personal experiences shaped her, leading her to take a break from acting and focus on her education. “My parents always told me I was the best. I was the smartest,” she said before adding, “And at UCLA, I was like at the bottom of my class.”
The Blossom star eventually decided to return to acting to secure SAG insurance, as she revealed, “I was running out of health insurance. So I figured if I can audition, like if I can get SAG insurance, at least I’ll have health insurance.”
After welcoming her son, she began auditioning for any opportunities that came her way, landing brief roles in shows like Saving Grace and Bones, before ultimately joining The Big Bang Theory, which transformed the trajectory of her career.
The Big Bang Theory is available to watch on Max.
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