Jim Parsons Says Reprising His Big Bang Theory Role for Young Sheldon Finale Was 'a Gift' (Exclusive)

For Jim Parsons, playing Sheldon Cooper is a gift that keeps on giving.

Actor — who played Big Bang Theorythe lovable, geeky lead for 12 seasons from 2007 to 2019 — is back in his shoes for the spinoff series finale on May 16 Young Sheldonwhich he says is a great honor.

Speaking to PEOPLE ahead of the 2024 Tony Awards — where he’s up for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play for his role in The Mother Game — Parsons, 51, said reprising the role, especially alongside former co-star Mayim Bialik, was “really special.”

Watch Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik bicker like an old married couple in the Young Sheldon Series Finale (Exclusive)

Parsons, who is executive producer and narrator for Young Sheldonhe was at ease with his role only off screen in the Big Bang Theory spinoff, but the way the finale was written changed his mind completely, he said.

Mayim Bialik and Jim Parsons reprise their roles from ‘The Big Bang Theory’ in the ‘Young Sheldon’ finale.

Bill Inoshita / Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

“I felt a little bit hesitant when they first asked, just like I thought, I don’t really want to get back into the character,” he told PEOPLE. “But the way they wrote it was, I thought, so beautiful that it ended up being this little extra coda or whatever in my experience with the character.”

“It was a gift of another layer of loss in a way I’ve never seen, and it was a real treat,” he added.

Young Sheldon‘with Cast Says Filming Series Finale ‘Bittersweet’: ‘It’s Mostly Coming Full Circle’ (Exclusive)

Asked if he had any advice for 15-year-old Iain Armitage, who has been playing Sheldon’s younger iteration since he was 9, Parsons said, “Oh God, no.”

“It’s such a different experience for him, and he’s so smart. He doesn’t need anything,” he said Hidden figures the actor continued. “He has good leadership. He and his mother are just fantastic.”

“So it will be good. God knows what he’s going to do,” Parsons said, adding, “He could have done anything.”

Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper in ‘The Big Bang Theory’.

Sonja Flemming/CBS via Getty

Never miss a story — subscribe to PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up to date with the best PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Thinking about what lies ahead, Armitage (who first auditioned for Young Sheldon at 8) told PEOPLE that he wanted to take on a project that was “the exact opposite end of the spectrum” from his period sitcom role.

“It’s funny, because I had so much fun doing this character for seven great years that it would be great to do something … completely different from Sheldon in every way,” he told PEOPLE.

Whether it’s an action, sci-fi or drama project, he just wants to do “something super different and weird.”

Iain Armitage as Sheldon in ‘Young Sheldon’.

Bill Inoshita / 2024 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc

Jim Parsons says he’s repeating himself The role of the Big Bang Theory for Young Sheldon The finale was “the most beautiful little coda”

And, in the video from the set sitcom finale shared with PEOPLE, both Sheldons reflected on the first time their paths crossed as Armitage relied on Young Sheldon.

“It’s pretty crazy watching old episodes of my voice sounding so high and I’m so small,” Armitage said.

“He was so amazingly charming,” Parsons added of the teenage actor. “Immediately [you] you just couldn’t take your eyes off it.”

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education