The One Celeb That Made Jim Parsons Freak Out on TBBT Set

Summary

• Throughout the years, it was not uncommon for The Big Bang Theory to feature high-profile celebrities.
• For Jim Parsons, the most notable cameo was that of Bob Newhart, who played Arthur Jeffries, also known as Professor Proton.
• The actor loved working with the legendary comedian, which he mentioned in several interviews.

Billy Bob Thornton, Katee Sackhoff, Nathan Fillion, James Earl Jones, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill, Stan Lee, and even Stephen Hawking are just some of the big names who have appeared on The Big Bang Theory, the iconic sitcom about geeky Pasadena scientists and their friends.

Throughout its 12-year run, TBBT has featured a plethora of celebrity cameos, some of whom were so well integrated into their roles (sometimes playing more than just themselves) that even the most devoted and loyal fans couldn't always recognize them on the small screen. Their roles were relatively small, but each was hilarious enough to be remembered for years to come.

The TBBT cast, who had become a real family to each other over the years, were honored to star alongside legends of television and film, as mentioned in various interviews. However, one of the main actors, Jim Parsons, who played everyone's favorite (well, some people were annoyed by him) Sheldon Cooper, spoke highly of just one of the guest stars whose role on the sitcom became semi-regular.

We are talking about the legend of 20th century stand-up and television, Bob Newhart, because it was working with him that had the most significant and formative impact on Parsons.

Parsons Was Honored to Work with Bob Newhart

Professor Proton was a true idol not only to Sheldon, but to Jim Parsons himself (and let's face it, who doesn't consider Newhart, a living legend of the comedy world, an idol). When he first appeared on the show in 2013, Parsons was just starting to gain momentum on television, so it was an honor for him to work with such a bug star, something he mentioned several times.

In 2017, for example, as part of the Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen show, a caller asked the TBBT actor a surprising question.

'I want to know, among all the great guest stars on The Big Bang Theory, which one of them did he freak out about?' The person asked.

It didn't take Parsons long to come to the conclusion that meeting Bob Newhart was the most important encounter of his life.

'I guess the closest to like a freak out was Bob Newhart. Really, just because I was impressed. I've been impressed with so many guests we have because I've grown up with a lot of them or whatever. Or I just admired them. Bob, partly due to his age, partly due to his, um, related to that, the longevity of his career,' Parsons admitted.

'It was the first person who walked on that I finally got that sense of, "Uhhh, I can't believe you're real. I can't believe you're standing right here in front of me and that was, that was profound. And it's been great to work with him."'

Crew, Cast and Live Audience Welcomed Newhart with Applause

Parsons also recalled how lucky he was to work with Bob Newhart five years later. In 2022, he shared his sentiments with Parade about the comedian's touching debut on the show.

'The night we taped the first scene he ever did with us, he appeared in the hallway and the show stopped—just completely stopped—from the standing ovation the live audience gave him. He cried. I think we all cried. It was profound, and I realized how much I'd been stuffing down my knowledge of how profound it was to work with Bob all week at rehearsal, because who the hell can do good work while saying, "I can't f--king believe I'm working with Bob Newhart!" in your head the whole time? No one. But the dam broke in that moment.'

Newhart may not have been the most frequent performer on TBBT, but we all cherish his signature deadpan humor as the depressed scientist who later visited Sheldon in dreams dressed as Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Source: Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Parade.