Big Bang Theory Star Almost Passed On Playing Howard
The Big Bang Theory star Simon Helberg nearly turned down the role of Howard for a few reasons. For 12 seasons, The Big Bang Theory reigned as one of television's biggest comedies. The series was created by Chuck Lorre and focused on a group of nerdy friends who get thrown for a loop when a beautiful woman moves in across the hall. Known for helping to bring geek culture into the mainstream, The Big Bang Theory was nominated for 46 Primetime Emmys over the course of its run and led to the creation of a spin-off called Young Sheldon, which is still on the air.
From the start, The Big Bang Theory starred Jim Parsons and Johnny Galecki as unlikely roommates Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter, while Kaley Cuoco played Penny, the woman who lives across the hall. Their friend group was completed by Kunal Nayyar's Raj Koothrappali and Helberg as Howard Wolowitz, though later seasons saw some new additions. It's hard to pinpoint which character was the funniest, though they each held their own strengths. For example, Howard's snarky humor, old-fashioned outfits, and unique living situation provided The Big Bang Theory with a lot of laughs.
And yet, Helberg almost passed up the opportunity to play Howard. While recently appearing on the podcast Plot Twist (via Express.co.uk), the actor admitted that when the Big Bang Theory job first came around, he was already attached to another show. Tired of pilots that never got picked up and nerdy characters, Helberg wasn't interested in The Big Bang Theory. However, he was later convinced to give it a shot. Helberg said:
"Big Bang came around and I was like 'I'm on the show, it's an amazing group of people and I'm not going to audition. I don't want to lose the thing I have, and I've done enough pilots that haven't gone anywhere and played enough nerdy characters.'
"I was convinced by my agent to go in for The Big Bang Theory, and it was THE plot twist – total hard stop, left turn. The show was the first thing I’d ever been a part of that actually aired!"
It's a good thing Helberg was swayed in the other direction because it's hard to picture The Big Bang Theory without him as Howard. Of course, with any long-running show, it becomes impossible to see someone other than the chosen actors in their respective roles. In the case of Helberg, he got to bring new layers to Howard over the course of The Big Bang Theory's run; in the end, he truly became the character, and he got the chance to play Howard for over a decade.
At the same time, Helberg admits there's a slight downside to The Big Bang Theory's long run. In another recent interview, he said he became an actor because he wanted to play many different characters throughout his career. Now that The Big Bang Theory is over, he can pursue new roles; most recently, he starred in the Amazon film Annette alongside Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard. Helberg might not have been interested in playing Howard at first, but it's probably safe to say it's done him a lot of good.
Source: Plot Twist (via Express.co.uk)