Summary

• Young Sheldon has been the perfect prequel to The Big Bang Theory, captivating viewers for seven years.
• Iain Armitage, who plays Sheldon Cooper, has grown up on screen and has showcased his immense talent as a young actor.
• As the final season of Young Sheldon begins, the actors, including Raegan Revord who plays Missy Cooper, are saying goodbye to a beloved family they have grown to love.

After seven years on air, the cast of Young Sheldon has changed right before our eyes. From Sheldon Cooper's first "Bazinga" to his final goodbye, Young Sheldon has managed to become the perfect prequel to The Big Bang Theory while capturing the hearts of viewers everywhere. And as season seven will be the final season of Young Sheldon, it's a perfect time to reflect on just how much the Young Sheldon cast has changed.

Young Sheldon began when Sheldon Cooper (and Iain Armitage) was just nine years old, and now the character has nearly reached the moment he leaves for California, thus matching up to The Big Bang Theory timeline. While the series' characters have obviously grown, the Young Sheldon actors have also grown up on screen. The following takes a look at every main Young Sheldon cast member in season one, as well as what they are like now.

24 Iain Armitage Was Nine Years Old When He Was Cast To Play Sheldon Cooper

Young Sheldon Premiered In September 2017

When Iain Armitage was cast as Sheldon Cooper in Young Sheldon, he was just nine years old, and the audition process was not an easy one. The young actor had to memorize a three-page monologue.

“I got a call back and I came in. Jim Parsons, [and co-creators] Steven Molaro and Chuck Lorre were all there, and I just went and did my thing,” Armitage shared with Firstpost. “When we were getting on the flight back to Virginia I got the call that I'd gotten the role, and I was like ‘Why are we going back then?”

Young Sheldon creator, Chuck Lorre later revealed just how impressed the casting team was with Iain Armitage's Sheldon Cooper audition.

“We looked at it and went, ‘We can’t possibly be this lucky.’ He was just spectacular."

23 Playing Sheldon Cooper On Young Sheldon Is One Of Iain Armitage's Biggest Roles

Iain Armitage Also Played Ziggy Chapman In HBO's Big Little Lies

Although playing Sheldon Cooper in Young Sheldon stands as Iain Armitage's most-recognized role to date, the child star also had a notable role in HBO's Emmy and Golden Globe-winning series, Big Little Lies, as Ziggy Chapman, Shailene Woodley's character's son. In addition to Shailene Woodley, the series also starred Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Laura Dern and Meryl Streep.

Going directly from Big Little Lies into Young Sheldon even further displays Iain Armitage's immense talent as a young actor that will carry him into adulthood.

22 Iain Armitage Will Turn 16 Years Old The Summer After Young Sheldon Season 7 Premiers

Iain Armitage's Birthday Is On July 15, 2008

Iain Armitage has spent the last seven years of his life playing Sheldon Cooper on Young Sheldon, and while his character is still 14 years old on the show, Armitage will turn 16 in July 2024. Gone away is the quirky little boy who first discovered pranking and "Bazinga" and here fans now see a young man, with a deeper voice maturing as actor and character.

“It’s very hard because it’s been basically half my life,” Iain Armitage reflects on saying goodbye to Young Sheldon. “I’m of course very sad but also happy, and I feel so grateful that I’ve gotten so much wonderful time with our incredible cast and crew and writers.”

21 Iain Armitage Has Starred In All 142 Episodes Of Young Sheldon

Young Sheldon Season 7 Will Have 14 Episodes

Playing Sheldon Cooper was no easy feat for Iain Armitage, especially since the character already had a well-established persona and fanbase from The Big Bang Theory. BBT's Jim Parsons helped Iain Armitage fill Sheldon Cooper's shoes. After all, Armitage wasn't even born when Parsons first started playing Sheldon in 2007.

"He primarily worked with me just kind of on the pilot and like the first couple episodes of season 1," Iain Armitage stated about Jim Parson's role in shaping his Young Sheldon character. "But yeah, he would do the lines with the other cast members the way Sheldon would, just to sort of give you an idea of that, or kind of talking about the way Sheldon thinks, or acts, or behaves. Which is really interesting, and provides a really good idea of the character, and that was really helpful, because you want to be able to bring enough of the character to the role that feels like the character that you know and love."

As Young Sheldon's final season is here with season 7, it is time for Iain Armitage to bid farewell to Sheldon.

“I’m very excited to see what [the writers] come up with because their scripts are so interesting,” Armitage expressed about the final episodes of Young Sheldon. “These episodes that we’ve been filming have been some of the funniest I’ve ever gotten to work on, and I’m having a great time, so I think people will absolutely love them—at least I can only hope.”

20 Raegan Revord Was Nine Years Old When She Began Playing Sheldon's Twin Sister On Young Sheldon

Missy Cooper Is Raegan Revord's Biggest Role To Date

Similar to Iain Armitage, Raegan Revord grew up acting in Young Sheldon, as Revord was only nine years old when she was cast in the family comedy. Playing Sheldon Cooper's twin sister, Missy Cooper, has become Raegan Revord's biggest role and ultimately launched her into fame.

"When I got the audition, it was such a busy time. It was right in the middle of pilot season, and I was going out for other things, but I kept asking my mom about the Sheldon project," Revord recalled about when she was cast in Young Sheldon.

"I just loved Missy so much ... She's very independent and strong-willed. She definitely made me laugh, and I just knew she'd be a lot of fun to play."

19 Raegan Revord Is Six Months Older Than Iain Armitage In Real Life

Raegan Revord's Birthday Is January 3, 2008

Raegan Revord and Iain Armitage play twin siblings in Young Sheldon, and while they are the same age in real-life, Revord is slightly older than Armitage by six months.

After playing twins for seven years, Revord and Armitage are bonded for life, and it's clear from the way the pair speak about each other in interviews.

"I have a great relationship with Iain," Revord told Meaww, according to Looper. "We have so many things in common! We both love our stuffies! Musicals, animals, rocks! When we aren't filming, the stage becomes like a big playground for us. We have so much fun together."

As the final and seventh season of Young Sheldon begins, Raegan Revord posted a sweet memory to Facebook from shortly after she booked her Young Sheldon role where she started to create a sibling relationship with Iain Armitage.

18 Raegan Revord Is 16 Years Old During Season 7 Of Young Sheldon

Sheldon And Missy Cooper Are 14 Years Old In Young Sheldon Season 7

While Iain Armitage and Raegan Revord were both the same age as their Young Sheldon characters when the series began, they are now both a couple of years older than Sheldon and Missy Cooper. The series creators slowed down the aging of the characters to be able to cover more of the Young Sheldon story.

However, as the Young Sheldon actors' ages could not be slowed down, the age difference between character and actor has become more noticeable and even became a point of criticism during season 6. Although Young Sheldon was always meant to end when Sheldon was 14 years old, since that's when he graduates from college and moves to Pasadena to begin his post-grad studies at Caltech, Raegan Revord and Iain Armitage outgrowing their characters forced the writers to wrap things up with season 7.

17 Raegan Revord Played Missy Cooper On Young Sheldon For 7 Years

The Actress Is 'Heartbroken' Over Young Sheldon Ending

Raegan Revord played Missy Cooper for much of her life and created real bonds with the actors she called family on Young Sheldon. With the series ending, Revord, who doesn't have siblings in real life, was forced to say goodbye to more than just an acting role. She is saying goodbye to a family she grew to love.

"I will say more later, but right now I am feeling so so heartbroken, but also so grateful," Revord wrote in an Instagram post that announced the end of Young Sheldon. "Playing Missy Cooper for the past 7 years and getting so be a part of this beloved franchise has been life changing."

"Filming these last 14 episodes will be so hard, but I am excited to get to opportunity to share this story with the fans and our Young Sheldon family."

"Something Steve Molaro told us when we were told the news about the show ending was a quote from Winnie The Pooh, ‘How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard,'" she continued. "It truly is how I feel about this show, the family I’ve made and the people I’ve met because of it."

16 Young Sheldon's Georgie Cooper Is One Of Montana Jordan's Only Roles

Montana Jordan Auditioned For Georgie Cooper Because The Character Was Close To His Real Life

Before Young Sheldon, Georgie Cooper actor, Montana Jordan had very little acting experience. When he was 12 years old, Jordan beat out 10,000 other actors for a role opposite Josh Brolin in The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter. Other than that movie, Young Sheldon is Montana Jordan's only other acting credit.

Montana Jordan actually auditioned for Young Sheldon because of how similar he felt Georgie Cooper was to his real life self.

"When I first read the role of Georgie, I thought I was reading an autobiography. Everything lined up to my life back in Texas."

Montana Jordan shared in an interview with Glitter Magazine, "I played football, and I always got in trouble for having a messy room. I mean I could sit here and name 100 things that me and Georgie have in common."

15 Montana Jordan Was 14 Years Old When He First Appeared On Young Sheldon

Montana Jordan's Birthday Is March 8, 2003

Just like Iain Armitage and Raegan Revord, Montana Jordan was cast at the same age as his Young Sheldon character - 14 years old. Another reason Jordan was drawn to playing Georgie, was that Georgie is an older brother to two younger siblings, while Jordan is the youngest in his family.

"For me, the coolest part would be being able to play an older brother. I have two older sisters in real life, so I was always the youngest with them picking on me, but oh, how the tables have turned for this project. Missy and Sheldon better watch out," he shared to Glitter Magazine.

And while Montana Jordan was alive (albeit he was just a toddler) when Big Bang Theory premiered, the actor confessed to having never watched the popular series. "As crazy as it sounds now that I’m on T.V., I’ve never been a kid to sit down and watch T.V…believe it or not, I still don’t. So, I haven’t watched The Big Bang Theory, but I’ve heard about how great the show was."

However, since Georgie Cooper first appeared in The Big Bang Theory after Young Sheldon had already premiered, Montana Jordan didn't need to do much studying for his role and believes TBBT shaped their Georgie off of him.