Simon Helberg on ‘The Big Bang Theory’ Pilot – ‘The Audience Laughed for a Minute and a Half’ – and Avoiding Turtlenecks Since It Wrapped: ‘But I Still Hide My Neck. It’s Hideous Over There’

Mar 21, 2026 11:28am PT Simon Helberg on ‘The Big Bang Theory’ Pilot – ‘The Audience Laughed for a Minute and a Half’ – and Avoiding Turtlenecks Since It Wrapped: ‘But I Still Hide My Neck. It’s Hideous Over There’ By Marta Balaga Plus Icon Marta Balaga Latest ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Sequel Takes on the Privileged Women of Gilead, Says ‘The Testaments’ Team at Series Mania: ‘It’s a New World’ 4 hours ago Chase Infiniti, Ann Dowd Talk ‘The Testaments’ as the Show About ‘Awakening and Rebellion Amongst Younger Women in Gilead’ Opens Series Mania 11 hours ago Finnish Drama ‘Citizens of Heaven,’ Written by ‘All the Sins’ Creators, Announces Cast for a ‘Mystery About Faith, Power and the Stories People Choose to Believe’ 1 day ago See All Simon Helberg almost missed out on “ The Big Bang Theory .” “I went: ‘Thank you, I don’t need to do another pilot. I played enough nerds and now I work with Aaron Sorkin’.’ Smart.” At the time, he had a recurring role in “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.” “I didn’t really care. They already had another pilot the previous year, very dark and without our characters. This time, it was clear it went very well – they wanted me to test and I said no. Chuck Lorre called, so I asked Aaron Sorkin for permission. He wrote me an email that I still have: ‘You ungrateful piece of… Just kidding’.” Related Stories Kristen Stewart to Play Astronaut Sally Ride in Amazon Limited Series 'The Challenger'