He plays a geeky physicist on TV, but even "The Big Bang Theory" star Jim Parsons had to wonder what alternate universe he stepped into when he rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange this summer. His one worry? "Please don't let it be a bad stock day when Jim Parsons rang the bell!"
Fortunately, there were only upward green arrows in sight, much like his career. "The Big Bang Theory" has steadily picked up buzz -- and fans -- during its first two seasons. Plus, Parsons received his first-ever Emmy nomination for his lovably fussy geek, Sheldon. Now in its third year, the sitcom about a pair of awkward science nerds and their pretty blond neighbor has a cushier time slot after the Monday night hit "Two and a Half Men."
He doesn't mind extra attention: "The great thing is it's all good news. I only get asked, 'How do you feel about the success of the show?' Or, 'How do you feel about being nominated for an Emmy?' "
Sheldon lives for superheroes and the Nobel Prize, but Parsons, 36, hasn't expanded his off-screen interests to match his character's. Instead, the actor lives for cable news, "American Idol" and live theater. But there is one thing the two do have in common: They're both from Texas.
Parsons has been surprised to discover that his fans are not strictly geeks, but regular everyday people. Initially, he expected the worst. "I've heard that it can be common for "Star Trek" fans to give their actors a hard time about reality-based questions, so that they're like, 'I don't know -- I'm not really an alien!' " says Parsons, who hasn't yet run into anybody who thought he actually was Sheldon.
His mother hasn't been so lucky. On the show, Sheldon's neighbor, Penny (Kaley Cuoco), sometimes sings a sweet song to him when he's sick; Parsons' mom will get asked if she sang it to him as a child. "She's like, 'No! It's not his life story. It's a show he's on!' " Parsons says. "I'm glad so far that it's [just] my mother having to field these problem-with-reality issues."
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