Oscar-Winning Actor TBBT Cameo Happened Only Because of His Mom
The Big Bang Theory saw plenty of cameo appearances from high-profile Hollywood stars, but none did it for a sweeter reason than this actor!
In 2014, TBBT fans were pleasantly surprised – an unlikely season 8 guest star blessed their screens. Of course, we mean Billy Bob Thornton, who played Dr. Oliver Lorvis in the seventh episode, The Misinterpretation Agitation.
The cast was happy to have him on set, the creators were glad to have him join the show, and the fans were overjoyed to see him on screen.
The question is – how did The Big Bang Theory get such a legend to guest-star for an episode? Turns out, we owe a huge thank you to Billy Bob Thornton's mom!
In an interview, the Oscar-winning actor said that his mother's number one show was The Big Bang Theory.
This was apparently more than enough reason for executive producer Chuck Lorre to get in touch with Thornton's manager and ask (manipulate) them if the actor would "consider doing a guest spot" for his mom.
Chuck certainly did everything he could to score his "baby" the best cameos!
That was enough for Thornton to agree, but it couldn't have hurt that he was a fan of the show himself! In an interview for EW, showrunner Steven Molaro shared that they had seen an interview with Thornton where he talked about his love for the show (he even started "talking to the characters on the screen!").
Aww, isn't it great that celebs can be just like us sometimes?
Once that was settled, the creators came up with the idea for the perfect character for Thornton – "a socially awkward doctor who falls for Penny's sales flirtations."
Billy and his team loved it, and the rest is history!
Another great thing about his role on TBBT was that it was kept secret until the very last minute, so the fans were definitely caught off-guard.
In the age of trailers that give away the whole plot, that must have been refreshing!
Anyway, Billy Bob Thornton's mom, we are grateful to you for this iconic episode! If the show had run longer, maybe we could have even had Dr. Lorvis back for another one…