After appearing in more than 200 episodes from 2009-2019, Melissa Rauch reveals all the details from her time on the show, including her favorite scenes to shoot with on-screen husband Simon Helberg, who played the dorky engineer Howard Wolowitz.
Rauch joined the cast of The Big Bang Theory in 2009. Her character, the microbiologist Dr. Bernadette Rostenkowski, first appeared as a waitress at the Cheesecake Factory in the season three episode "The Creepy Candy Coating Corollary."
The Big Bang Theory had twelve seasons, and Rauch stood out in the nine seasons she appeared on. The character Bernadette is set up on a blind date with Howard by Penny, played by Kaley Cuoco. The reason this date happens is because of the "girlfriend pact." This pact was set in place, so if any of the guys [Leonard, Sheldon, Howard, Raj] dated a "hot girlfriend," the girl would have to find a date for the others.
Bernadette and Howard initially have nothing in common, and the date is highly awkward. But, the characters then bond over their helicopter mothers and tell each other stories of the embarrassing things their parents have done. The date ends with the two agreeing to go to dinner with the other parents, so Howard can scare his mom by bringing home a Catholic girl, and Bernadette can scare her parents by bringing home a Jewish boy.
This is the start of their wonderful relationship, which will evolve into the two getting married and having kids. Fans loved their relationship and the dynamic they brought to the screen, but were Rauch's favorite scenes to shoot?
Melissa Rauch's Favorite Scenes And Time on Set
When speaking to Today, Melissa Rauch said the best part of Bernadette and getting to play the character was seeing how she evolved.
"Over the years, she's sort of found her big-girl voice," she said. Bernadette famously has a high-pitched squeaky voice.
"When we originally met her, she didn't really like kids. She didn't know how she would interact with them. And it's been really cool to follow that journey from her not knowing if she even wanted kids to not knowing if she'd be a good mom to the struggle of when she finally did become a mom."
"That moment of, like, 'What is going on?' And then just the very relatable struggle of having to enter back into the workplace after being home and leaving her kids. And there was some really raw emotion that was an honor to get to play," Rauch said.
When speaking about her co-star Simon Helberg and their on-screen marriage, Rauch said, "One of my favorite parts about Bernadette's relationship with Howard is how sexy she finds him."
"Whenever there's a moment for Bernadette to talk about how she loves the way he dresses. Or there was an episode this season where Lauren Lapkus' character asks, 'Why Howard?' and Bernadette's like, 'Have you seen him?' That is my favorite—just shows her extreme love for him."
She continues, "Even though she's always, like, putting him in his place. The fact that we get to see these glimpses of how attracted she is to him, I think, is awesome."
Rauch praises the writers for their work on The Big Bang Theory, "The writers are so incredible; we have genius architects behind this show," she said.
Simon Helberg's Favorite Memories with Melissa Rauch's
Simon Helberg was starting to dislike his character. But, he says when Melissa Rauch joined the cast, he had a much better time.
"People were very unhappy with some of the things Howard would do or say, and I was like, 'Yeah, I agree,'" he says. "I didn't necessarily think that meant the character should be removed, but it certainly was more fun to play him as his heart got bigger, and he shed his layer of sleaze…."
Speaking to News Week, Helberg said some of his best memories were working alongside Rauch. "I always really had a great time working with Melissa [Rauch]," he said. "Whenever we had some juicy storylines, like when she finds out that she's pregnant. I really enjoyed that," Helberg added.
The Big Theory Main Cast Took A Pay Cut To Improve Melissa Rauch And Mayim Bialik's Pay
On the show, all the characters are best friends and have a genuine love for one another. But did that love extend when the cameras stopped rolling? In 2017, the main cast: Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, and Kunal Nayyar—took a pay cut so Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik could earn more.
The five actors made $1 million per episode but took a $100,000 pay cut, so they would now earn $900,000 per episode. They did this in solidarity, hoping the two women would make $450,000 per episode.
There was a mixed reaction from fans to the character Bernadette. Some felt as the show went on, she got meaner, and they stopped liking her. Others loved her character and the dynamic she had with Howard, and the friendship between Penny, Amy, and Bernadette.
The Big Bang Theory is available to stream on HBO Max, so fans can relieve all their favorite moments.
