The Big Bang Theory is a sitcom that ran for 12 seasons and won a ton of Emmys. The show made stars of several of its cast members. Jim Parsons was one actor whose career really took off thanks to the series.

While Parsons now acts in films such as The Boys In The Band and Spoiler Alert, he is most famous for his role as Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory. His character was so popular, a prequel spinoff series Young Sheldon premiered.

The character has been a favorite of television viewers for many years now. Creators Bill Prady and Chuck Lorre reflected on the character in a past interview and revealed Sheldon's "big breakthrough moment.

"

Bill Prady And Chuck Lorre Were Going To Use Raj's Inability To Talk To Women For Sheldon

Raj was a character with many memorable qualities. One of his most memorable personality traits was his inability to talk to women. This made for some great comedic moments on The Big Bang Theory.

Show creators Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady spoke with Entertainment Weekly to celebrate the show's 15th anniversary. The two discussed the development of Raj's character and where the inspiration originated.

"Bill worked with a guy in the 1980s, a computer programmer, that was actually like that," Lorre said.

"Yes, and that attribute actually belonged to the fellow who had most of Sheldon's attributes as well," Prady added. "Somehow, in our discussions, that moved out of the Sheldon character and into Raj."

"Yeah, we created two characters out of that one guy," Lorre said.

Prady described how he noticed his former co-worker's issue.

"It was a really interesting thing to watch because if we were talking and a woman came into the room, he would just stop talking," he said. "And then she would leave, and he would start talking again.

Obviously, we started noticing it. It's a real thing, selective mutism. It's an anxiety condition. He was just so anxious around women that his solution was to not talk. "

"And Penny is the one who cured Raj," Lorre added, noting the significance of her character. "She was the pivot point for all these characters. She was also the one who told Howard, "You're not a ladies' man… you're disgusting." But she also introduced him to Bernadette. She impacted all these characters in such a major way."

Kaley Cuoco Revealed A Memorable Moment With Jim Parsons At The Audition

When speaking to Entertainment Weekly, the cast was asked about their first impressions of each other.

Kaley Cuoco talked about how she knew right away how Jim Parsons was the perfect actor to play Sheldon.

"At the audition I saw Jim sitting there by himself, and we were the only two there," she said. "He was very quiet and had a BlackBerry in his hand, playing with it. He looks at me and said, 'You don't know how to work this thing, do you? I just got it.' He was very cute how he said it. I thought he could totally play Sheldon. Charming and innocent."

Years later, Parsons showed Cuoco some love when reacting to her pregnancy announcement.

Cuoco announced she was pregnant with her first child from boyfriend Tom Pelphrey in 2022. Parsons shared his excitement with Entertainment Tonight.

"She's gonna be incredible," Parsons said. "She's a comforting presence, and it was a pleasure to work with her day in and day out ... She's a very warm person, and I think that child is lucky to have her for a mother."

Cuoco gave birth to daughter Matilda on March 30, 2023.

"Introducing, Matilda Carmine Richie Pelphrey, the new light of our lives!" Cuoco wrote on Instagram. "We are overjoyed and grateful for this little miracle."

Chuck Lorre Said Sheldon Hugging Penny Was A 'Breakthrough' Moment For The Character

Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady have a close relationship with The Big Bang Theory. Not only did they create the series, but they watched it grow with success for 12 seasons. It's only natural that the two would have their favorite moments in the show.

This is something they also discussed when speaking to Entertainment Weekly.

"Jim Parsons' speech about why he sits in that particular spot on the couch in the pilot episode," Lorre said when asked his favorite moment. "I think we all watched that and understood something remarkable was happening.

There were no real jokes in the speech, it was just a worldview that was so precise, and he brought it to life. It was an astounding moment I'll never forget."

"I love the episode where Sheldon doesn't like that Leonard is dating Raj's sister," Prady said. "She was a lawyer and kept finding loopholes in the roommate agreement and was using it against him. Sheldon gets so mad that he ends up threatening to tell her parents she was dating Leonard and uses the Star Trek self-destruct sequence to do it."

He continued, "To me, that was this great nerd explosion. Then there's the incredible moment with the Christmas gift where Penny gives Sheldon a napkin with Leonard Nimoy's DNA on it."

Lorre added, "That's when he hugged Penny. It was the first time he laid a hand on her. That was a big character breakthrough moment, he was so alienated up to that point."