Summary
- Jim Parsons had to make radical lifestyle changes during his 12-year run as Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory.
- Parsons adopted a strict low-carb diet and gave up drinking to maintain focus and health.
- Extreme at-home rehearsals pushed Parsons to the brink, impacting his weight and health.
With four Primetime Emmy Awards and a per-episode salary of $1 million, it's not exactly a mystery why portraying Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory is widely regarded as Jim Parsons' crowning career achievement. However, despite the immense perks, embodying the neurotic, socially inept physicist was far from effortless.
To sustain his focus throughout the show’s remarkable 12-season run, Parsons found himself compelled to make downright radical lifestyle changes; a venture that ultimately took a toll on his health. In this article, we’ll delve into Parsons' extremely restrictive lifestyle behind the scenes of The Big Bang Theory and the noticeable impact it had on his health.
Jim Parsons Lived A Pretty Strict Lifestyle While Filming The Big Bang Theory
For twelve consecutive years, Jim Parsons captivated fans worldwide with his seemingly effortless portrayal of Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory. However, achieving this seemingly flawless depiction wasn't a walk in the park for the now 51-year-old actor.
In his interview for ‘The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series,’ Parsons confessed that he had to keep himself "on a pretty tight leash" during filming. To start with, the Spoiler Alert star bid farewell to the bottle, despite not battling alcohol abuse.
The months between hearing the first pilot wasn’t being picked up and then waiting to shoot the second pilot is what led me to give up drinking for nine years. I was like, OK, I need to focus, I need to get healthier, so as the date approached that we were going to do the second pilot, I said, “Well, I’m going to clean up my act.””
Next, Parsons adopted an extremely restrictive low-carb diet, despite having no weight-related concerns whatsoever.
“I was on a very restrictive diet of low sugar and carbs, and not because I had any weight to lose—that wasn’t it. It was about health, but also, I enjoy a schedule and having a purpose and a project that I really can devote myself to. It is only me looking back on it that I can see it like that.”
Jim Parsons’ Strict Lifestyle While Filming The Big Bang Theory Had A Noticeable Effect On His Health
As the show gained popularity and his role became increasingly demanding, Parsons tightened the reins on his lifestyle, routinely subjecting himself to intense at-home rehearsal sessions that frequently pushed him to the brink of insanity.
“There were a couple of weekends where I was going around my house ranting and spouting out these lines and trying to say them, and sometimes they did make me a little crazy.”
With each new season demanding more from his role, it wasn't long before Parsons' highly restrictive lifestyle began to take a noticeable toll on his health. In her interview for ‘The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series’ TBBT’s assistant director Nikki Lorre revealed that Parsons lost weight so drastically at one point, the cast and crew became concerned.
“There were certain years we were worried about Jim because he started getting really skinny and was just clearly stressed out because the role itself, not just the fame, became very, very challenging. They would write these scientific, jargon-y monologues for him, sometimes on the spot, and sometimes the pressure just got to him.”
And it wasn’t just The Big Bang Theory cast and crew who were uncomfortable with Parsons’ sudden weight change.
“The weight loss bothered me, too, when I saw playbacks or photos,” Parsons revealed in his interview for ‘The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series’.
“There are photos of me from the first Emmy win in 2010 that I don’t like because of that. It wasn’t accidental, and it wasn’t just wear and tear from stress, but I do think it was another level of me exerting control where I could.”
Jim Parsons Became A Lot Less Strict With Himself After Mayim Bialik Joined The TBBT Cast
With his role becoming increasingly demanding as the years rolled on, it seemed quite likely that Parsons would continue putting himself through the wringer for years to come. Fortunately, an unexpected turn of events brought about a much-needed reprieve.
Parsons finally caught a break, albeit unexpectedly, in season four when Mayim Bialik joined the show's main cast. With his character no longer solely tethered to rapid-fire scientific monologues, the 51-year-old finally started cutting himself some slack.
“I became more relaxed with the process and more willing to go into certain scenes on a tape night not having quite the at-home rehearsal time behind me that I spent the first many years going through,” he shared in his interview for ‘The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series’. “So I kind of eased up on myself a little bit, but at some point I didn’t say quite as much anymore in the science vein.”
Even with Bialik's arrival providing a much-needed break, it took Parsons quite a while to loosen his self-imposed ban on drinking. But after nine years of staying sober, the Spoiler Alert star finally decided to kick that restriction to the curb as well.
“It was nine years, and the person I was who had stopped… well, it was a completely different existence. It took me a minute to understand that I could reintroduce things like enjoying wine at dinner again without being in an unstable life. As exciting as that time was for me, it was very, very unstable. I wouldn’t trade a second of it, and I don’t need to go back, either.”
