One The Big Bang Theory Actor Was Eager To Do Their Own Stunts

"The Big Bang Theory" might not seem like the most stunt-heavy series ever to hit television, but slapstick comedy requires a certain level of physical commitment from its performers. The popular CBS sitcom ran from 2007 to 2019 and followed a group of socially awkward young scientists and their friends. The series' cast of wacky characters, led by Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons), Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki), Raj Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar), Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg), Penny (Kaley Cuoco), Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik), and Bernadette Rostenkowski (Melissa Rauch), frequently found themselves in all manner of unlikely scenarios, which often required stunt work that ranged in nature from the simply silly to the outright bizarre.

Eddie Braun was the stunt coordinator on "The Big Bang Theory," a role that involved ensuring actors were safe when their characters were bumbling their way through any kind of outlandish accident or potentially dangerous scenario. While the majority of these stunts were relatively minor, the series had its high concept moments — sometimes in dream sequences or imagined scenarios — that required a little more planning from Braun and his team. Talking about his time on "The Big Bang Theory," Braun revealed some of the responsibilities that came with his role and what the series' cast members were like to work with, including the fact that Jim Parsons was always eager to do his own stunts.

In an interview with Metro.co.uk, Braun discussed the surprising amount of stunt work "The Big Bang Theory" required. Beyond the obvious action-heavy sequences that come to mind when most people think of TV and movie stunts, the stunt coordinator's role also involves ensuring actors are safe when performing slaps, trips, falls, and all the other kinds of minor slapstick moments that are commonplace on a series like "The Big Bang Theory."

Braun revealed that all the cast members were eager to get involved and perform their own stunts where they could, but particularly Sheldon Cooper actor Jim Parsons. This led to some of the stunts being adapted so it would be possible for Parsons to perform them himself. Braun said:

"They all wanted to do it and the key to it was keeping it safe enough for them, or getting doubles for them to do some of the stuff that they really couldn't do.

Jim Parsons, he's the one that really wanted to do everything. He's such a sweet, sweet man. We would adapt the slapstick comedy so he could do it, and he did the majority. I may have doubled him once or twice on the show, but other than that, it was him doing all the little things."

The physical comedy of "The Big Bang Theory" was often just as important as the spoken gags, so it's unsurprising Parsons wanted to perform these moments. His eventual exit from the show was the reason it ended, but along the way, he had the opportunity to lean in to the physical component of the character and embrace the full range of motion for Sheldon Cooper.