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Mayim Bialik was struggling to make ends meet when she auditioned for The Big Bang Theory. Her screen test for the Chuck Lorre sitcom was simply a means to secure health insurance at a time when she was struggling to raise two young babies.
Like the character she would go on to play in Big Bang, Bialik has a PhD in real life. She is not a genius by the very definition of the word, but is considered “exceptionally gifted” in terms of IQ. Despite this standout background, she had been trying to get gigs here and there when she got a call from her manager telling her that Big Bang had put out a casting call.
Before that, Bialik had taken a 12-year break from acting to pursue higher education and raise her sons. The show was in its third season when she auditioned, and she was up against five other women.
Her audition featured five lines, and would also be her proper reintroduction to the acting world.
What Happened During Mayim Bialik’s The Big Bang Theory Audition?
Mayim Bialik auditioned for the role of Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler. Amy is a quirky, bubbly, super brainy neurobiologist who is the perfect love match for the show’s main character, Sheldon Cooper, played by Jim Parsons. Being a witty, suave neuroscientist in real life, the role fit like a glove, and she earned her spot in the sitcom’s Season 3 finale.
In a previous interview with Graham Norton, she recalled being nervous that the other actresses fighting for the spot were somewhat famous and all very talented.
According to audition tales of The Big Bang Theory cast published by The Hollywood Reporter, Bialik only had a few lines to read for her audition. “I auditioned with five other actresses — none of whom were neuroscientists — who were really talented and many of whom I knew of. There wasn’t a lot of lines; it was five lines in that Season 3 finale,” she said.
The actress did not have to wait too long, either, to find out whether she had been successful. “They told us all to wait after we went in,” she added. “They called two of us back in. We went home and found out that afternoon.”
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Amy Farrah Fowler’s Introduction To The Big Bang Theory
When Amy first shows up in The Big Bang Theory, she is Sheldon’s friend who is a girl, but not his girlfriend. She is witty, focused, and makes up for her ill sense of fashion with her brilliance. As the story develops, they eventually end up dating.
Steve Molaro, a writer on the show, is the man responsible for coming up with the idea of matching Sheldon with a love interest. Sheldon’s friends sign him up on a dating website and his profile forms a perfect match with Amy. They both love comics, science fiction, and have similar views of the world.
In previous episodes, Sheldon is not depicted to be into girls. Amy’s introduction was met with backlash from fans, who didn’t want Jim Parsons’ character to change.
Parsons formed a very close relationship with Bialik, however, and even opposed the scriptwriters when they wanted to do away with her character. The same happened with Chuck Lorre, creator and executive producer for The Big Bang Theory. In total, Amy appeared in 203 episodes of the sitcom, which spanned the course of 12 seasons, and ended in 2019.
Mayim Bialik On Shooting The Big Bang Theory
Talking to Page Six’s Jarett Wieselman in 2010, Mayim Bialik said that there was a lot of awkwardness when she first started shooting The Big Bang Theory. She compared it to joining a new high school, three weeks into the term. She also initially thought that the series was a game show.
Bialik also fell in love with the subject-matter, describing it as “an authentic depiction of real people living real lives.” She also enjoyed the shooting schedule, which was between August to April, and always during school hours. This flexibility gave her plenty of time to be with her kids.
Filming for The Big Bang Theory pushed her into full time acting, but her PhD in Neuroscience proved very useful on set. She would, part-time, help design lab activity, and ensure that they had accurate tools and that the writers used scientifically accurate terms.
Since her time on the show, Bialik has made several appearances on screen, including her new sitcom, Call Me Kat. The California native has also ventured into writing, with three published books on parenting.
