Jim Parsons is best known for his portrayal of socially inept genius, Sheldon Cooper, in The Big Bang Theory. Parsons' portrayal of the idiosyncratic theoretical physicist was so phenomenal that, by the end of the show, the 49-year-old had garnered four Prime Time Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe, and become one of the highest paid actors on TV.
Although several Hollywood actors could have played the role, most fans would find it difficult to imagine anyone else as Sheldon Cooper.
However, the possibility of having someone else as the face of Sheldon Cooper was not so alien at some point. Before The Big Bang Theory, Parsons was hard at work trying to make a name for himself in Hollywood.
The actor even auditioned for a part in The Office, a show that would go on to have an almost commensurate level of success as The Big Bang Theory. Here’s why Parsons’ audition for this particular popular sitcom didn’t go as expected.
Jim Parsons Auditioned For A Role in The Office
Before audiences around the world came to know him as a socially awkward theoretical physicist, Jim Parsons was trying to secure a role on The Office. "I don't remember, it was either Jim or Dwight. Which tells you exactly why I wasn't right for it,” Parsons said during an interview with The Dan Patrick Show.
“There wasn't a role that I was a ringer for. I knew Rainn Wilson and I knew John Krasinski and I think that's why I can't remember who it was because I knew whatever part it was, somebody I sort of vaguely knew got it."
Despite attending the audition, Parsons held a very unfavorable view of the show. “With The Office, this just shows how stupid I am about Hollywood,” Parsons said. “I thought what a dumb idea for a show. If we wanted a show about an office in America, we would've done it already. I was wrong, and I have no foresight with things like that."
Why Jim Parsons Didn’t Land A Role On The Office
Jim Parsons’ The Office audition could have gone wrong for a myriad of reasons. However, it couldn’t have been because he wasn’t thoroughly prepared. Parsons even missed an Oscars after-party to prepare for his Sheldon Cooper audition. “I always work on my auditions,” Parsons told Vanity Fair in 2020. “I remember the Oscars were going to be on that night, I was invited to a party, and I said I’m not going, and I stayed home and read out my lines and worked on my lines.”
Although the 49-year-old was undoubtedly prepped for his audition, Parsons has acknowledged that he might not have been the right person for the role. During his interview with The Dan Patrick Show, Parsons responded, “Oh Yeah! Every time. I mean almost every time. I’ve been very fortunate with that. Or I’m just very honest with myself,” when asked, “But then is there a part of you that knows, ‘I might not be the best person for this part?’”
In contrast, Rainn Wilson, who ended up clinching the role of Dwight Schrute, felt an almost instantaneous connection to his character. “It was one of those rare moments where I knew this part was mine,” Wilson said during an episode of Baumgartner’s podcast, Ordinary Looking Losers. “No one knows this world of total nerdom and white-trash bullydom, heavy metal dungeons and dragons…authoritarian creepy weirdo better than me. This is my thing.”
Jim Parsons Is Producing His Own Remake Of A Popular British Sitcom
Despite being somewhat critical of The Office, Parsons went ahead to produce a remake of the popular British sitcom, Miranda, after his time as Sheldon Cooper came to an end. The show, Call Me Kat, now on its third season, stars Mayim Bialik, and features Parsons as executive producer. During a Television Critics Association (TCA) virtual panel held in 2020, Parsons explained why he thought adapting the British sitcom for American audiences was a good idea.
“I would say from our end when this was brought to our attention that this was a possibility to use [the Miranda] format as a jumping-off point for a new series, we were very excited but nervous because it succeeds so well on its own, the original,” Parsons explained. “And the two major things are who’s going to reframe this and reshape and around who? And if you don’t have both of them the way we do, it’s really not worth doing.”
While Parsons had his reservations about The Office, he was confident that Call Me Kat would be well received. "I’m watching the rehearsals, I’m watching the tapings, and I’m watching the shows, and I’m like "this works,'" he said. "I don’t know if thousands of other people will like it, but it’s good.”
