Summary

• Johnny Galecki initially underestimated Christine Baranski's knowledge and dedication to The Big Bang Theory but was pleasantly surprised when she knew every episode and put effort into her role.
• Christine Baranski is most recognized for her role as Leonard's mom on The Big Bang Theory, despite her extensive past work in film and television.
• Jim Parsons considers Christine Baranski one of his favorite supporting characters on the show, along with Laurie Metcalf, praising their talent and craftsmanship as actors.

Throughout its run, The Big Bang Theory had a memorable supporting cast, along with brilliant guest stars. Johnny Galecki, in particular, had the pleasure of working alongside those brilliant names, including Christine Baranski.

In the following, we're going to take a closer look at Galecki's time alongside his TV mom, and why his perception of the actress changed following her first day on set. We'll reveal Galecki's impression of Baranski, while also taking a closer look at what Jim Parsons thought of her cameos on the show.

In addition, we'll reveal Baranski's thoughts on getting noticed in public, primarily because of her time on the show.

Johnny Galecki Was Under The Impression That Christine Baranski Knew Very Little About TBBT

Christine Baranski had several notable projects throughout her lengthy career, including Chicago, and Mama Mia. However, she is recognized by lots of fans for her time on The Big Bang Theory as Dr. Beverly Hofstadter, Leonard's mom. The actress made her debut on the series way back in 2009, and a decade later, she was still part of the show. Baranski took part in 16 episodes total.

During Johnny Galecki's interview with Bullz-Eye back in 2009, the actor talked about the significance of Baranski taking on the role of his mom. However, Galecki thought she knew little about the show, and only agreed because of her relationship with Chuck Lorre. Galecki quickly learned it was the opposite.

Johnny revealed about his co-star, "That was really very cool and flattering, because you hear something like that, that Christine Baranski is going to come on the show, and I just kept saying, “Well, she doesn’t want to come do our show.” You know, I’m so modest about our new little show, and I’m, like, “She’s probably just coming to do Chuck Lorre a favor, but who cares, because it’s Christine Baranski and that’s so exciting.”

Galecki continues, "But then she gets there, and she knows every episode and she’s spending her lunch hours going over her lines. You know, not phoning anything in whatsoever."

The interview took place back in 2009 and at that point, Johnny was hoping for more of Baranski throughout the series. That wish came true as the actress made sporadic appearances throughout TBBT's 12-season run.

Christine Baranski Admitted She Most Gets Recognized For Her Time On The Big Bang Theory

Despite all her past work on film and television, Christine Baranski told People she still gets recognized more as Leonard's mom from TBBT than any of her other roles.

The actress was completely fine with that, admitting that things could be a lot worse.

She revealed, “More often than not, they point to me and say, ‘Leonard’s mother!’ even though I appear infrequently as her on The Big Bang Theory. The show is just such a mega hit. There are worse things to be called, believe me.”

At the age of 71, Baranski is still going strong, taking part in 17 episodes of The Gilded Age, along with extending her voice to Praise Petey for 10 episodes in 2023. The actress is doing lots of voice over work nowadays. She also appeared on Young Sheldon back in 2019.

Jim Parsons Called Christine Baranski His Favorite Supporting Character On TBBT

Yes, the main cast of The Big Bang Theory played a crucial role in the show's success. However, the supporting players on the show also gave TBBT a major boost throughout the 12 seasons.

Once the show wrapped up, the cast discussed their favorite guests. Jim Parsons called Laurie Metcalf and Christine Baranski his two favorites.

The actor revealed, "I see them as actor's actors. All the years that I watched them (before 'Big Bang'), I would identify with them as performers, as a fellow craftsman in the field. To meet them and realize that was true was overjoying. Working with them was as rewarding and interesting as I always thought it would be."

As for the other names that popped up as the favorite supporting player, Kevin Sussman's name came up a lot, and we're pretty sure he is the fans' choice as well. Bialik defended this decision, "He's part of our family. I learn a lot from him as an actor. He does a lot with a little and he has an understated way of handling things that otherwise could be too much."

The show was blessed with some great supporting players, along with a stacked cast of guest appearances from some of the biggest names out there.