Key Takeaways
- Jim Parsons says he was "miserable" and "not happy" at the height of playing Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory, describing the experience as so stressful he "wouldn't do that again for any amount of money."
- He explains that what looked like strong work ethic was really obsessive, OCD-like behavior that wrecked his work-life balance and made him feel he had to constantly overwork to keep all his "plates" in the air, causing him to miss "tons of life."
- Parsons, who won multiple Emmys and a Golden Globe during the show's 279-episode run, now sees Big Bang Theory as a crucial but "self-tortured" stepping stone and says his relationship to the role of Sheldon is evolving into something healthier, even as he refuses any reboot return.
Jim Parsons has revealed that his mental health took a toll while playing Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory, and that's why he has no interest in returning to the former sitcom.
The actor appeared on the July 13 episode of the All Out With Jon Dean podcast and shared that he was "miserable" during the height of the show’s run.
"I wouldn't do that again and for any amount of money," he said around the four-minute mark of the episode below. "It was stressful and miserable at times. I made myself miserable."
Parsons added that he thought his productivity on the show was based on "work ethic," although it was more about "obsessive behavior." "Yes, I was disciplined. Yes, I had a good work ethic, but a lot of it was because it was kind of OCD in nature," he continued.
Among the issues that Parsons faced was having an off-kilter work-life balance, which caused him to miss out on spending time with his family and friends.
"I look back now and realize that there were many ways, at some of the best moments of my life, I was miserable," Parsons explained. "I was not happy. I was stressed. "I felt that there were so many plates I was supposed to be keeping in the air and that the success and the good things of life that were happening were only due to this overworking."
The Big Bang Theory ran for 279 episodes from 2007 to 2019, earning 10 Emmy Awards along the way. Parsons personally won four of those for best lead actor in a comedy, plus a Golden Globe, all for his portrayal of Sheldon. The show was preceded by a spin-off, Young Sheldon, which focused on the titular character in his adolescence.
By the end of the interview, Parsons accepted his position on Big Bang Theory as a career stepping stone. "I wouldn’t be where I am right now if I hadn’t have had that time of life, and the somewhat self-tortured nature of it was part of it," he said.
