How One Improvised Line Turned TBBT's Fan Favorite Character Into a Pathetic Mess
It gave him way more screen time, on the other hand.
It's not uncommon to hear stories about actors improvising the most admirable lines and scenes. What is less common, however, is the actor destroying the impression of their character in order to create something entirely new. Intentionally or not, the audience may not be the biggest fans of change.
This is exactly what happened to Stuart on The Big Bang Theory and his sudden turn to constant self-deprecation. While it might have been a fun gag to play with for a few episodes, no one expected him to stay in that state until the very end of the series.
As it turned out, the actor behind the role, Kevin Sussman, was to blame.
While filming one of the scenes with Kaley Cuoco 's Penny, on whom Stuart obviously had a crush, the actor improvised "I love you" to his co-star. The director not only liked the line, but enjoyed the whole vibe of the interaction, so Stuart's dynamic began to change drastically.
“Usually, there is very little ad-lib or improv on that show. But the writers laughed a lot. And after that moment, they started having me back, and I noticed that they started having the character of Stuart sort of regress,” the actor later explained in an interview with Tulsa World.
Although he had always been an awkward character, just like every other nerd portrayed on the show, he wasn't pathetic or insecure in any way. In fact, Stuart had enough charisma and confidence to challenge Sheldon and even ask Penny out on a date in Season 2. Unfortunately, all that character development quickly went out the window.
Some viewers connect the dots between the changes in Stuart's behavior and the burning of his comic book store. Though the depression he may have been going through is an obvious explanation, the showrunners either downplayed any discussion of it or didn't care enough about the character to think this arc through properly.
The only good thing that came out of Kevin Sussman's one little slip of the tongue was that the actor was given more screen time. However, with so many fans really disappointed with the character's storyline, anyone would think twice before taking this time.
If you want to rewatch The Big Bang Theory and make some points about Stuart’s rise and sudden fall, you can go ahead and stream the series on Netflix or MAX.
Source: Tulsa World