Becoming Sheldon Cooper changed Jim Parsons' career. The actor caught the bug when he was a first-grader, but 'The Big Bang Theory' allowed him to take on a challenging (and well-paying) gig that spoke to his analytical side.
The role not only earned him a ton of cash, but it solidified his reputation as being an amazing actor. At the same time, he didn't get pegged into a specific type of role; Sheldon encompasses comedy, drama, and geekiness. It didn't take much for Jim to pivot to other projects after 'Big Bang Theory' wrapped.
But how did Jim become Sheldon? Well, even before he got the role, Jim invested a lot of time in dialing in his act -- and that's what ultimately earned him the job.
USA Today explained that Parsons spent hours memorizing "complex, scientifically dense dialogue," and sticking to every minuscule detail the writers outlined for Sheldon. Headlines like 'Jim Parsons nabs smart comedy role' shed a little light; Jim may not be a physicist, but he did have to memorize some complicated science-y stuff to be able to portray Sheldon accurately.
That was part of the appeal, though, Jim noted in interviews. Fully embracing the need to carefully read, re-read, and basically embody the dialogue (as well as writers' notes on Sheldon's behavior) was a welcome challenge to the seasoned actor.
And it paid off: as Glamour recounted, Jim's audition with, among other important showrunners, Chuck Lorre, was a show-stopper. Chuck called it, "one of the most startling auditions" he'd ever seen in his life, elaborating that Jim literally walked into the audition with a "fully realized character."
As Lorre explained, each element of Jim's Sheldon was perfect: "His body language, his gestures, his pauses, his hesitations, his inflections" were all "beautifully crafted."
In summary, Chuck said, "he just killed the audition."
Of course, Jim has previously said in interviews that waiting for a callback was excruciating. Rather than getting a call in a few hours (or before he'd even left the parking lot, as often happened), Jim had to wait a really long time to find out whether he'd gotten the part.
The reason? Chuck wanted to ask him back for a second audition because he wasn't sure if Jim could really do it again. He needn't have worried, though -- Jim showed up and continued to show up for 12 seasons as Sheldon.
After the experience that was Jim's audition, Chuck said, "It was so startling, we were clearly in the presence of brilliance." Fans concur!
Then again, Jim did play a big role in the show ending, but fans have since forgiven him -- especially since adult Sheldon now narrates the story of 'Young Sheldon,' another hit show for CBS.