Tony Awards: Here’s what Jim Parsons said to Angelina Jolie
Jim Parsons tells USA TODAY’s Ralphie Aversa about what he loves about performing on Broadway and what he said to Angelina Jolie at the Tony Awards.
Jim Parsons says his rise to stardom came at a personal cost.
In a July 13 episode of the “All Out with Jon Dean” podcast, “The Big Bang Theory” alum, 53, revealed that when his acting career soared, he often found himself deeply unhappy.
“I look back now and realize that there were many ways, at some of the best moments of my life, I was miserable,” he told host Jon Dean. “I was not happy. I was stressed.”
The Emmy-winning actor said the stress and discipline he imposed on himself were not worth the emotional toll, despite it paying off professionally. He said what some would consider a strong work ethic “was really just obsessive behavior.”
“I felt that there was 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 … discipline and whatever,” he added. “And maybe to a degree that was true. I don’t know.”
He said he wouldn’t make that mistake again for “any amount of money” because he made himself miserable.
“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 explained. “I had a list of things basically in my head that I had to get done in order to be comfortable and know that I could do my job right, which I don’t think was true.”
Jim Parsons doesn’t think he could do a ‘Big Bang’ reboot
Parsons said his obsessive work routine led him to miss out on life as he excluded things that didn’t move him forward. If he were to go back and do it again, he doubts he could do things differently.
“I don’t honestly know,” he said. “In the same way, I can’t go back. I don’t know that I would be where I – well, I wouldn’t be where I am right now if I hadn’t had that time of life.”
His remarks come after an April appearance on “The View,” where he said he doesn’t believe he would ever star in a “Big Bang Theory” reboot. He also shared that he can’t say he misses his character Sheldon, who he said shares many similarities with.
“There’s a lot about his qualities, and just who he was, that I still carry with me,” he said. “And I certainly still get so much reaction to it.”
Parsons played Sheldon for over a decade on the hit sitcom, which ran for 12 seasons from 2007 to 2019, and earned four Emmys for his performance. He later served as off-screen narrator of the prequel series “Young Sheldon” and reprised his role as adult Sheldon for an onscreen cameo in the show’s series finale in 2024 after seven seasons.
“Young Sheldon” also spawned its own spinoff, “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage,” which debuts its third season in the fall. Since “Big Bang” ended, Parsons has starred in films like “Spoiler Alert” and “Hidden Figures,” shows like “Hollywood,” and Broadway productions like the stage musical “Titanique.”
Contributing: Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY
