TV - Movies
Young Sheldon
Has An Intimate
Connection To Jim
Parsons' Life
By SHANE O'NEILL
Arriving two years before "The Big Bang Theory" wrapped up, "Young Sheldon" follows Sheldon Cooper, now played by Iain Armitage, during his time as a kid growing up in Medford, Texas. While Parsons is connected to the show through his narration work on it, there’s a fascinating connection between the show and Parsons’ real life.
“Young Sheldon” creator Chuck Lorre talked about the show’s origins in an interview. "The beginning was a phone call from Jim Parsons, who sent me a video of his 10-year-old nephew in Texas who is a prodigy — brilliant, extraordinary, off the hook, crazy smart kid," Lorre recalled, going on to explain that the clip led to the idea of a Sheldon Cooper origin show.
Not only did Iain Armitage have to take on the monumental task of playing a character as iconic as Sheldon Cooper, but he had to do right by Jim Parsons' family at the same time. That’s a tall order for any actor, but in an interview, Parsons himself praised Armitage, "It was really moving...It was kind of mind-blowing to see him [Sheldon] brought to life through Iain."