Two Big Bang Theory Stars Starred In A Cult Comedy That Pokes Fun At Oscar Nominations

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Imagine my surprise when I queued up Christopher Guest's 2006 comedy "For Your Consideration" on Netflix and spotted two of the stars of "The Big Bang Theory." That's right: This cult-classic comedy, which focuses on Oscar nominations and skewers actors who want them too badly, features Simon Helberg and Kevin Sussman, the men who play Howard Wolowitz and Stuart Bloom on "The Big Bang Theory," in teeny tiny supporting roles.

Sussman shows up as the director of a commercial and Helberg pops up as a junior talent agent, but because these two were relative unknowns at the time, they're admittedly overshadowed by the film's unbelievably funny cast. Harry Shearer, whom you probably recognize whenever he speaks as one of the voices from "The Simpsons" (he plays characters like Mr. Burns, Waylon Smithers, Principal Skinner, and Ned Flanders, just to name a few), portrays stage actor and hot dog commercial mascot Victor Allen Miller. Parker Posey plays Callie Webb, a self-serious ingenue who wants to score an Oscar nod for playing a closeted queer woman in the clumsily titled movie "Home for Purim." And, of course, the late, great Catherine O'Hara plays the perfectly named Marilyn Hack, an actress whose star is fading but who also gets some rumored Oscar attention for playing the dying matriarch in "Home for Purim."

Again, it's generous to say that Helberg and Sussman even play "supporting" roles; they're barely in the movie, but it's still incredibly funny to see these two future co-stars pop up (particularly because "The Big Bang Theory" kicked off its run on CBS just one year later in 2007). We'll come back to Helberg, Sussman, and their unexpected casting situation on "The Big Bang Theory," but what is "For Your Consideration" about, and why is it a perfect watch during awards season?

As Moira Rose on "Schitt's Creek," Catherine O'Hara says her favorite season is "awards," and even though that answer fits Moira's whole deal perfectly, I'd like to imagine it's a sly little reference to her incredible performance in "For Your Consideration." As the film opens, we see a few people in Marilyn's orbit tell her she's the talk of the town for "Home for Purim," and let's just say she gets her hopes up as Callie and Victor hear similar murmurs.

To say "Home for Purim" looks terrible is an understatement. The movie's director, Jay Berman (Christopher Guest), gives genuinely bizarre and unhinged notes to his actors, and the film's producer, Whitney Taylor Brown (Jennifer Coolidge), wealthy from her family's diaper empire, gives you the impression that she's never seen a movie before, much less produced one. Then there's the movie's co-writers, Philip Koontz and Lane Iverson (Bob Balaban and Michael McKean), who keep fielding notes from studio heads about the movie not being "approachable." (It ends up getting a title change and becomes "Home for Thanksgiving," so I think you can pinpoint the joke there.)

When Marilyn, Callie, and Victor all fail to secure Oscar nominations — making Christopher Moynihan's Brian Chubb the only one to score a nod despite being the subject of precisely zero rumors — Marilyn's meltdown is legendary. Her face tightened from ill-advised plastic surgery, Marilyn is caught by gossip show host Chuck (Fred Willard) as she deposits seemingly endless bottles into her recycling. Still drunk, Marilyn takes out her ire on a French actress who beat her out, yelling, "It's French! It's not legal!" before disappearing into her home. It is ... genuinely Oscar-worthy, actually.

Now let's circle back to Simon Helberg and Kevin Sussman, both of whom appear in the seasonally appropriate "For Your Consideration." By 2007, Helberg was starring in "The Big Bang Theory," and Sussman, committed to ABC's "Ugly Betty" around that time, ultimately joined Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady's storied sitcom as recurring character Stuart Bloom in season 2 before becoming a much bigger and more important part of the narrative. As it turns out, Sussman was actually Lorre and Prady's original choice for Howard Wolowitz, the role that went to Helberg. In Jessica Radloff's 2022 book "The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series," the writer revealed that Sussman was all set to play Howard until the "Ugly Betty" commitment prevented him from doing so.

In fact, the role was basically written for Sussman after he auditioned for Johnny Galecki's character Leonard Hofstadter as the first failed pilot of "The Big Bang Theory" took shape. Ultimately, ABC laid claim to Sussman, only to not even use him on "Ugly Betty" ... which freed him up to play the role of comic book owner Stuart later on. 

Helberg, bless his heart, had no idea about the Sussman-Howard casting situation until interviews took place for Radloff's book. "Oh my God, I'm literally covered in goosebumps right now," Helberg told the author. "My feeling was that the network or the studio was not fully on board [with Sussman], but I had no idea what really happened ... and Kevin obviously never told me that," he concluded. All's well that ends well, and this Oscar season, keep an eye out for these "Big Bang" stars in "For Your Consideration" on Netflix.