The Young Sheldon Actor You Forgot Played A Completely Different Character On TBBT
As expected, there have been plenty of shared moments between "The Big Bang Theory" and its prequel series, "Young Sheldon." Given its spin-off status, it's not surprising to have some of the same characters on the latter show at different points in their lives, and there's definitely some overlap involved here.
"Young Sheldon" tells the story of "TBBT" lead character Sheldon Cooper as a child prodigy who enters high school at the tender age of 9. Jim Parsons recreates his role in voiceover, while Iain Armitage is onscreen as the prepubescent Sheldon. Sheldon gets advice from his mom Mary, played by Zoe Perry — daughter of Laurie Metcalf, who plays Sheldon's mom on "TBBT" — his Meemaw (Annie Potts), and his father George Sr. He also has to deal with his siblings, Missy (Raegan Revord) and Georgie (Montana Jordan).
It's also not unusual for creators to rehire actors for their shows, and "Young Sheldon" creator Chuck Lorre has done this many times. Sara Rue has shown up on "The Big Bang Theory" as Leonard's ex Dr. Stephanie Barnett, on "Mom" as new wife Candace to Christy's (Anna Faris) ex Baxter, and as Thomas Middleditch's ex-wife Julia on "B Positive." Even patriarch George Cooper Sr. on "Young Sheldon," played by Lance Barber, had previously appeared on "The Big Bang Theory" as Leonard's high school bully Jimmy Speckerman.
But there's one character actor who appeared on "Young Sheldon" who you may not remember played a part on "The Big Bang Theory," where he gave Bernadette a run for her money.
Jason Kravits played one-off roles in both Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon
While many guest stars have graced the "Young Sheldon" set, including Vernee Watson, Jason Alexander, Lance Reddick, and even Elon Musk, one you might not remember is character actor Jason Kravits. Though he plays a small, one-off role, it's an important one in Sheldon's life. Kravits appeared in Season 1, Episode 6, "A Patch, a Modem, and a Zantac," as Dr. Hodges, a NASA administrator who visits Sheldon's class. When Dr. Hodges brushes off Sheldon's suggestion to save taxpayer money by flying reusable booster rockets, Sheldon sets out to prove him wrong, thereby leading to his choice of theoretical physics as a career.
Kravits played roles in many television series, including "The Practice," "Royal Pains," "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," and Chuck Lorre's "B Positive." He's also appeared in movies like the 2004 "Stepford Wives" remake, "Morning Glory," and "The Adjustment Bureau," and sang and danced on Broadway in "The Drowsy Chaperone," alongside his brother, Garth Kravits.
In "The Big Bang Theory," Kravits showed up in Season 12, Episode 17, "The Conference Valuation," as a pharmaceutical rep named Danny Jacobs. When Penny and Bernadette travel to a pharmaceutical convention in San Diego, Danny — Bernadette's rival — tries to poach Penny to work for his company. He fails, however, as Penny decides her friendship with Bernadette is more important than any money Danny might offer. Though Kravits appeared in only one episode each of "TBBT" and "Young Sheldon," it seems likely he'll show up in another of Lorre's future shows. We look forward to seeing him, whenever it happens.