the “Big Bang Theory” spin-off “Young Sheldon” is a surprisingly different animal than its parent show. The prequel nature of “Young Sheldon” meant that certain characters arrived with certain expectations, and among the biggest questions was how the show would treat Sheldon Cooper’s (Iain Armitage) father, who came pre-characterized as a pretty awful person. Indeed, Lance Barber was worried about playing George Cooper Sr. for this very reason, but the show ultimately addressed the concerns by turning George Sr. into such a likable character that co-creator Chuck Lorre came to regret killing him off on “The Big Bang Theory.”
Barber ended up having quite a bit of fun with the role, too. However, his favorite moments was quite different from what you might think. In a 2019 interview with Mashable India, he named the comparatively obscure season 2 episode “Albert Einstein and the Story of Another Mary” as his favorite one just from an acting standpoint:
“If we’re talking about the fun, actor-y stuff that I got to do, it’ll be this episode in season 2 in which Mary was pregnant. There were moments in this episode that were heavy lifting for us as actors. When I watched it, I thought it turned out pretty great.”
Zoe Perry (who plays Sheldon’s mother, Mary Cooper) concurred with the sentiment, noting that Barber’s performance, in particular, was a sight to behold:
“There is definitely a treat we get when we get together, cast and crew, on set and watch an episode together. With that one in particular, I was so moved by Lance in a particular scene, because I wasn’t exactly looking at him during the scene.
