TBBT's Laura Spencer Had A Cool Run-In With A Real-Life Rocket Scientist
When a sitcom spends 12 years on the air, it will inevitably rack up numerous guests and recurring roles, and "The Big Bang Theory" is certainly no exception. Wil Wheaton, James Earl Jones, Stan Lee, Christine Baranski, and more all left their imprint on the comedy series over the years. Starting in Season 7, Laura Spencer joined this pantheon as Dr. Emily Sweeney, even though she was initially only contracted for one episode.
For the actor, playing a part on the popular show meant getting to know its built-in fandom, which she learned when meeting a real-life rocket scientist. In a 2014 interview with The Wrap, Spencer revealed that she had a run-in with an aerospace engineer at a diner, which caught her off-guard before they started chatting.
Although the character of Dr. Sweeney is a dermatologist, Spencer's involvement with the geeky sitcom was enough to win her admiration from the real-life space community. Here's what Laura Spencer had to say about her chance encounter with a real-life Howard Wolowitz.
Spencer met a scientist who was a huge Big Bang Theory fan
From Seasons 7-10, Laura Spencer's Dr. Emily Sweeney served as the love interest of Raj (Kunal Nayyar) on "The Big Bang Theory." When talking to The Wrap, the interviewer asked her opinion on the show's inclusion of intelligent and funny female characters. She replied that it was all part of the writing department's awareness that the sitcom's audience was savvy.
The actor then shared her story about meeting a rocket scientist at a diner. "I had a really funny run-in, I was in a hamburger place and I was sitting next to this man who was sitting alone," she recalled, "and we ended up talking about our careers. He was an actual rocket scientist, and he loves 'Big Bang Theory' — all of his colleagues watch it. And those are the moments when it feels really cool to be on a show like that."
Even though Dr. Sweeney and Raj did not end up as a long-term couple, her presence on the series lives on in the memories of fans. Many even claim she's the character he should have ended up with, thanks to her intelligence, humor, and compassion. Even the scientific community seems to agree with that insight.