A major shock for the Young Sheldon team: One of the actors in the film has suddenly passed away hue01

Jim Parsons is getting candid about the toll of playing Sheldon Cooper.

The actor, 53, who spent over a decade as the beloved, socially awkward protagonist of The Big Bang Theory, has revealed that at the height of the show’s fame, he was actually pretty “miserable.”

In a July 13 episode of the All Out with Jon Dean podcast, Parsons shared that when his acting career began to soar with the sitcom, he found himself deeply unhappy as he weathered the pressure and stress that came with his fame.

“I look back now and realize that there were many ways, at some of the best moments of my life, I was miserable,” Parsons shared. “I was not happy. I was stressed.”

The Emmy-winner explained that he put a lot of effort into being disciplined, which ultimately took a hefty emotional toll.

“I felt that there was so many plates I was supposed to be keeping in the air and that the success and the good things of life that were happening were only due to this overworking,” he said. “Maybe to a degree that was true. I don’t know. I can’t say because that’s how I was.”

Parsons, who played The Big Bang Theory‘s Sheldon from 2007 to 2019, garnered a Golden Globe and 4 Emmys for his portrayal of the neurotic physicist. But the actor said that the accolades were not worth the unhappiness he experienced.

“I wouldn’t do that again and for any amount of money,” Parsons admitted. “It was stressful and miserable at times. I made myself miserable.”

When Dean asked whether it was merely the result of a strong “work ethic,” Parsons replied, “It was really just obsessive behavior, basically. Yes, I was disciplined. Yes, I had a good work ethic, but a lot of it was because it was kind of OCD in nature.”

When Dean pondered whether there is a way for a young actor to “balance things out” in the middle of such a seismic project, Parsons was unsure. Though he did note that he wouldn’t necessarily go back and change how everything shook out.

“I wouldn’t be where I am right now if I hadn’t had that time of life and that somewhat self-tortured nature was part of it,” he said.

Parsons added that his relationship to the character has improved with time, noting, “What I feel is better. What I feel is healthier.”

The Big Bang Theory ran for 279 episodes across 12 seasons and followed the misadventures of a group of socially awkward science geeks and their much cooler female neighbors. Parsons starred alongside Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, Melissa Rauch, and Mayim Bialik. Parsons returned to the role for the CBS spinoff Young Sheldon, where he served as narrator and appeared on camera in the 2024 finale.