Jim Parsons is one of the most talented people in the entertainment industry. And the role of Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory has only cemented his place in Hollywood. But unlike TBBTThe actor was part of many other successful projects, such as The normal heart (2014), Hollywood (2020), The guys in the band (2020) etc.
The actor has also been nominated for several awards in his career so far. From multiple Emmys to Golden Globes, he has no shortage of accolades. And while he owes most of his fame to playing neurodiverse character Sheldon Cooper in the sitcom, he has several other projects that have proven his proficiency in his craft, including the Oscar-nominated film Unrecognized heroes (2016).
Jim Parsons hesitated, Unrecognized heroes
The biographical drama film, Unrecognized heroesstarring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae, is about three African-American female mathematicians during the space race. Jim Parsons played the role of the chief engineer of the Space Task Group, Paul Stafford. Although Parsons found the story and the role fascinating, there was one thing he didn’t like about his character. So much so that he was hesitant about doing this film.
Speaking to Today, Parsons said:
I had to read it a couple of times to accept the role, my role, which was a little difficult, which is that I kind of get on Taraji’s nerves, and that gives it a certain twist. Paul Stafford embodies the biggest hurdles and some of the attitudes of that time, but once I accepted that, it was a real joy to go there and fight with Taraji and just be involved in it.
Parsons’ character Paul Stafford doesn’t get along with Henson’s Katherine Goble, the mathematician in charge of supporting the Space Task Group. Being a woman of color at the time didn’t exactly work in her favor, and one of the people who didn’t like her being part of the “inner circle” was Stafford. But we see him eventually learn to admire her skills and talent as he comes out of his social shell at the end of the story. A cup of coffee would be the start of a friendship we could all cheer for.
Jim Parsons is miles away from Sheldon Cooper
Although Jim Parsons played the role of Sheldon Cooper perfectly, he is very different from the real-life character. And not only because of the scientific aspects. The biggest difference, however, comes from the fact that Parsons neither star Wars Or Doctor Who – the two franchises that Sheldon can’t stop thinking about. In an interview with Time, Parsons admitted:
Of course, I’m often asked about scientific things. I say, “That’s a joke.” And even about pop culture. … I’ve never seen Star Trek. I don’t know Doctor Who.
This may come as a shock to others TBBT Fans must remember that Sheldon is just a character played by Jim Parsons and that they are not the same people. So although Sheldon loves star Wars And Doctor Who and often jokes about it with his fellow nerds. Parsons is such a great actor that sometimes people forget they are two different things.
The Big Bang Theory is available to stream on Max.
Unrecognized heroes is available on Disney+.
