The Big Bang Theory Saved This Hollywood Legend from Losing His Fame, Going Bankrupt
The Big Bang Theory on CBS, created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, is regarded as one of the most popular and lauded sitcoms in television history. The show, which ran for twelve seasons from 2007 to 2019, was able to build up a large fan base worldwide, and viewers continue to return to the program even today.
The main cast of The Big Bang Theory initially consisted of Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Simon Hellberg, Kunal Nayyar, and Kaley Cuoco. Later, however, Melissa Rauch, Kevin Sussman, and Mayim Bialik joined the cast and were given starring roles. However, the audience was always intrigued by how the producers were able to secure iconic cameos from those who did make a lasting impression. There was one actor who said that being cast in The Big Bang Theory saved him. Let’s find out more.
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Bob Newhart starred as Professor Proton in The Big Bang Theory
Actor Bob Newhart, who is popularly known as a standup comedian who later transitioned into a sitcom star, was introduced as Professor Proton on The Big Bang Theory in 2013 and his fan base on the show started to grow from there on. He felt happy when people recognized him as Professor Proton.
According to the creator, Chuck Lorre had approached Newhart multiple times to appear on one of his shows but nothing fit well until The Big Bang Theory. His portrayal as Professor Proton on the show earned him an Emmy Award in 2013 and he was further nominated in 2014 and 2016 as well. The comedian appeared on the show six times between 2013 and 2018.
The actor in an interview shared, “Chuck Lorre and I had talked about working together on various projects … but we couldn’t come up with anything. One day he came to me and said, ‘OK, I’m here for my annual turndown.’ I said, ‘You know what, Chuck? I really like The Big Bang Theory — I like the quality of the writing.’”
Bob Newhart’s conditions to appear in The Big Bang Theory
The legendary actor shared during his interview with THR that he agreed to appear on the show under two conditions, which was to perform his part in front of a live audience.
Newhart explained, “I always felt that the live audience gives it adrenaline. That’s the only way I function. And the other was; I wanted it to be a semi-recurring role. He was fine with both and later called me with the story of Professor Proton. “
He revealed in another interview that he was at the time unsure if the audience would recognize him or not and asked Lorre to announce that he was going to appear on the show, but mentioned that Lorre told him that the audience would recognize him and they did which was followed by a standing ovation.
He further talked about working on the show by stating; “The Big Bang Theory is well written and it has an incredible cast. It’s intelligent, which is a vanishing commodity. Its setup joke, setup joke, setup joke. When we were doing The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart, we’d take a minute to set up a joke, but it paid off because the reaction was huge.”
Jim Parsons on working with Bob Newhart on The Big Bang Theory
Jim Parsons, who appeared as Sheldon Cooper on the show during an interview with Parade, was asked about his experience of working with the veteran actor and he said Newhart is an icon, a person one has in their mind or heart and they just don’t seem real.
Parsons continued, “His timing, delivery, demeanor — and he brought the most positive energy and optimistic outlook to have around the set.” The actor also recalled that the first time they taped the first scene with Newhart and he appeared in the hallway and he received a standing ovation, he cried, and they all cried.
The actor added, “It was profound, and I realized how much I’d been stuffing down my knowledge of how profound it was to work with Bob all week at rehearsal, because who the hell can do good work while saying, ‘I can’t f****** believe I’m working with Bob Newhart!’ in your head the whole time? No one. But the dam broke at that moment.”
Johnny Galecki, who played Leonard on the show, also added during his interview with Variety that after his standing ovation, the DJ played the theme song from Newhart’s show and he started crying, which was a very emotional moment.
Source: THR
