Actor Jim Parsons had his breakout role as Sheldon Cooper in the sitcom The Big Bang Theory. The actor played the annoying yet loveable physicist, who navigates a new social world when a neighbor enters his friend group. Parsons won the Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series four times.
One of the key characteristics of Sheldon Cooper is his love for all things nerdy. He is established as a huge Trekkie and has a frenemy relationship with actor Wil Wheaton, who plays Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: The Next Generation. The actor reportedly lucked his way into getting the role in the popular sitcom.
Wil Wheaton Was Cast In The Big Bang Theory After One Tweet
Actor Wil Wheaton is known for his role as the prodigy Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: The New Generation. Generally regarded as one of the most annoying characters in the franchise, Wheaton stayed in the series for only three seasons before exiting the franchise. He reprised his role in the new generation series Star Trek: Picard.
Wheaton’s character being the most hated in the Star Trek universe has become a huge part of meme-culture and was also included in his appearance on the sitcom The Big Bang Theory. The actor played a fictionalized version of himself, who gains the ire of Jim Parsons’ Sheldon Cooper and becomes his arch-nemesis.
Wil Wheaton mentioned that he actually lucked his way into getting the role as he had tweeted about the show as a fan. His tweet reportedly led co-creator Bill Prady to approach him. Wheaton told Larry King,
[Bill] Prady said, ‘I’m looking for a nemesis for Sheldon and I wonder if you’d be interested in playing a delightfully evil version of yourself’…My function in scripted television is to be the guy you love to hate. It’s always more fun to be the villain.
The tweet reportedly first caught the attention of writer Steve Molaro, after which Wheaton was contacted by Bill Prady.
Will Wheaton Reveals How Playing Wesley Crusher In Star Trek Changed His Life
As the actor mentioned in his interview with Larry King, Wil Wheaton has a penchant for playing characters that audiences love to hate, and the best exhibit of that is his breakout role in Star Trek: The Next Generation. The actor played Wesley Crusher, the boy genius who was a Starfleet hopeful at a young age.
Crusher has often been regarded as an annoying character in the franchise and has been hated by most fans. The actor himself has been a sport about the hate but also revealed that he was initially affected by it. Talking about his interaction with The Big Bang Theory writer Steve Molaro while he pitched his appearance on the show, Wheaton wrote on his website,
When I was younger, people gave me such a hard time about Wesley Crusher, there was a time in my late teens and early twenties when I resented Star Trek. It felt so unfair that people who had never met me were so cruel and hateful toward me as a person because they didn’t like a character I played on a TV show, I wanted to put Star Trek behind me and forget that it was ever part of my life.
However, the actor mentioned that as time passed by he interacted with more people who were inspired by Wesley Crusher and how they had watched the show with their parents as kids only because someone like Crusher existed. Since, then Wheaton mentioned that he had a healthier relationship with the show.
Star Trek: The Next Generation is available to stream on Paramount+.
