Key Points
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Iain Armitage reveals that the Young Sheldon cast did “drive each other nuts.”
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Showrunner Steve Holland explained why the ensemble was featured more starting in season 3.
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Armitage has responded to claims that he was “difficult” on set as a child.
Iain Armitage says he was glad to be joined in the Young Sheldon opening credits by the rest of the cast, even if they did “drive each other nuts.”
For the first two seasons of the Big Bang Theory prequel, the focus was fully on Armitage, considering he was portraying Sheldon Cooper, the character memorably first brought to life by Jim Parsons on TBBT. But then the decision was made to build up the ensemble, which meant that, starting in season 3, the entire Cooper family would also be featured in the opening.
“It was great when the rest of the cast joined me in the opening credits, but we’d also manage to drive each other crazy because we were all standing there, and somebody wouldn’t be on their mark,” Armitage revealed in Jessica Radloff’s new book, Young Sheldon. “We were definitely a real family and would drive each other nuts.”
Showrunner Steve Holland further explained the decision to beef up the presence of the other characters.
“It was an ensemble show,” he said. “It should have been the whole family the entire time. The first season was more Sheldon-driven, and the feeling from [co-creator] Chuck [Lorre]—and he was probably right—was that Sheldon was the character people know, and this is the character people are tuning in for, so let’s focus the stories on him and let these other characters grow naturally.”
Elsewhere in the book, Armitage addressed claims that he was “difficult” on set.
“It was a complete privilege to be on this show and play this character, but yes, it was a big undertaking for an 8-year-old,” the actor, now 18, shared. “I always did the best that I could, and sometimes kids are not perfect. I was grateful to the people who understood that and gave me grace.”
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Young Sheldon wrapped in 2024 after seven seasons, but the TBBT universe has continued. The Young Sheldon sequel, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, is currently in its third season, while TBBT spinoff, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, has been renewed by HBO Max for a second season.
Young Sheldon: The (Juicier-Than-Meemaw’s-Brisket) Inside Story of the Hit Comedyis out now.
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