Emmy award winning actor Jim Parsons, who plays Sheldon Cooper in 'The Big Bang Theory,' recently praised child actor Iain Armitage, who'll portray the childhood years of Parsons' character in the CBS spin-off 'Young Sheldon.' Parsons, who reprises his role as the adult Sheldon, through narration, has called Iain's performance inspirational.
As noted by US Weekly, Parsons, an executive producer on 'Young Sheldon,' told Entertainment Tonight (ET) that Iain is "having fun and it's been really inspirational to watch," adding, "There's just a way in which he's tackling all this that is so such fun and such joy of the process. [He's] a reminder to, I think, anybody who's been doing it for a while to see how much fun it is."
Parsons, who has been playing Sheldon Cooper since 2006 said, he had many interactions with Iain where they talked about Sheldon Cooper and exchanged their own views on the character. Regarding the new series, Parsons said, "It was a very moving experience to me to see something I've put a decade in my life toward. It was really moving to me to see this machine take off," adding, "Seeing somebody like Iain taking over this part, it's like, 'This is fun!'"
Parsons also said that he told Ian Armitage's mother to be ready to handle the spotlight and fame that will come the young actor's way once the series begins airing. "When I saw the marketing and all the posters with Iain's face on them, I texted [Iain's mother] immediately, 'prepare,'" Parsons told Fox News, adding, "I think they are prepared," notes US Weekly.
As to whether Iain's performance has influenced his own portrayal of Sheldon Cooper, Parsons said, "It hasn't yet, to my conscious knowledge," adding, "I think that's more of an effect for them writing it. It is great fun to record [the voiceover] while watching the scene I'm recording over. It's still my knowledge of my adult character that's carrying over in his commentary [of his younger life]."
ET noted that show creator and executive producer Chuck Lorre said at the Television Critics Association press tour on Tuesday, "One of the things we learned going in is Jim has a magical quality. When he addresses the character of Sheldon, he can be so despicable and hard on his best friends but yet the audience forgives him," and added, "You take those same qualities and ask a 9 year old to bring that [and] he's a brat. So we made a decision early on when he's very naïve, when he's not yet become cynical and overly controlling. He has his idiosyncrasies but he's a much more vulnerable character in 1989."
Apart from Iain Armitage and Jim Parsons, the cast of 'Young Sheldon' includes Zoe Perry as Sheldon's mother, Lance Barber as Sheldon's father, Annie Potts as Sheldon's grandmother and others.
'Young Sheldon' will premiere its pilot episode on September 25 at 8.30 p.m. Eastern Time and Pacific Time, on CBS, after The Big Bang Theory. Regular episodes will air from November 2.
