The Big Bang Theory's Johnny Galecki Starred In An Awful Horror Sequel To A Beloved Movie

Gore Verbinski's take on "The Ring" is regarded as a masterpiece by many horror fans, which is no small feat considering that it's a remake of a bona fide J-horror classic. The film tells the story of Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts), a journalist who uncovers the horrifying truth behind a cursed video tape after her niece dies. In short, anyone who views the tape will be killed by Samara (Daveigh Chase), a well-dwelling spirit, after seven days — and stopping her is virtually impossible. The movie expertly — and terrifyingly — taps into the fear of technology and the supernatural, while also telling a good, old-fashioned ghost story.

Since its release in 2002, "The Ring" has spawned two sequels, neither of which are particularly good. In fact, "Rings" — the third installment starring "The Big Bang Theory's" Johnny Galecki — is downright awful, as evidenced by its 8% score on Rotten Tomatoes. While the movie provides a few passable jump scares and updates the lore for the digital world, it lacks the cohesiveness and overwhelming sense of dread that make the original hold up so well after all these years. A shame, really, as a "Ring" movie about the dangers of social media could have been interesting.

Galecki, however, plays a character who isn't unlike Leonard Hofstadter, the physicist he played for 12 seasons on "The Big Bang Theory." His character Gabriel Brown also loves science, as he's a biology professor who wants to change the world with his scientific discoveries. Unlike Leonard, though, Gabriel is so married to his pursuits that it proves to be his undoing in the end.

While there are many moments on "The Big Bang Theory" have aged poorly, Johnny Galecki's character in "Rings" is way more problematic than Leonard Hofstadter at his worst. Gabriel Brown is the catalyst for Samara returning to inflict more terror on helpless victims, as the professor uses the cursed tape to conduct a social experiment where people record themselves watching the footage and encourage others to do the same. He wants to prove that there is life after death ... even if it costs people their lives in the process.

Gabriel isn't exactly a chin-stroking, maniacal villain, as he truly believes that his cause will benefit humanity. That said, his actions are still selfish and lead to a lot of tragedy in "Rings," making him more complex than your average bad guy. The character's moral dubiousness is certainly what attracted Galecki to the role, as he explained in an interview with Rotten Tomatoes Coming Soon:

"When I initially read it on the page, I thought he might be using these students as guinea pigs in a way, but the wonderful thing about Gabriel is that he truly believes that he's doing well. You know, that his work is for the greater good of all, and those have always been my favorite villains."

While "Rings" won't go down in history as one of the best horror sequels ever made, it seems that Galecki enjoyed getting to play a bad guy. Unfortunately, the actor portraying character he found fascinating is one of the few positives to take from the movie.