Yahoo Movies Jim Parsons Auditioned for The Office Before He Was Cast in Starring Role on Big Bang Theory
Getty Images / Connor-Arroyo / AFF-USA Jim Parsons
The Office's first episode could have had a very different cast — one that would have included a familiar face from another beloved sitcom.
The Big Bang Theory star Jim Parsons revealed this week that he auditioned for the pilot episode of the NBC comedy before landing his role of Sheldon Cooper.
Parsons, 47, shared his thoughts about auditioning for a role on The Office, though he didn't say for which character.
"I was like, 'How stupid, it’s about an office,' " the Emmy nominee recalled thinking of the remake of the U.K. series, according to Deadline. "If America wanted their own office show, they would have already made it by now."
The Hollywood actor shared the memory during a panel discussion for the upcoming Fox series Call Me Kat, which he is executive producing alongside his former Big Bang Theory costar Mayim Bialik, who will play the titular character.
Call Me Kat is based on the British series Miranda, whose creator and star Miranda Hart will also executive produce, as well as Darlene Hunt, Todd Spiewak, and Angie Stephenson, Entertainment Weekly reported.
Michael Yarish/CBS Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory
Big Bang Theory aired its series finale in 2019, and Parsons opened up earlier this year about his decision to leave the sitcom.
After a summer full of personal ups and downs in 2018, including the death of his dog and a broken foot, Parsons had a moment of "clarity," he said of the decision to leave Big Bang Theory on an episode of David Tennant Does a Podcast With… in August.
getty images Rob Latour/REX/Shutterstock
"I didn’t know that I was searching for it but between the dog and the foot, I was just like ... ‘Okay. Let's take charge here,' " he explained.
This year, Parsons appeared in Netflix's Hollywood and a film version of The Boys in the Band, the Broadway play he starred in and earned a Tony Award in 2019 for Best Revival of a Play.
For Big Bang Theory fans missing the show, it's now streaming on HBO Max.
