New Interview with Jim Parsons on his favorite episode of season 5

[rachelshamyfan]

http://www.vulture.com/2012/08/jim-parsons-favorite-episode-of-the-big-bang-theory-season-five.html

As the Emmys approach (September 23), Vulture reached out to nominees to pose the question, “What was your favorite episode from the last season of your show?†The series kicked off yesterday with Mad Men's Jon Hamm. Today, we have The Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons.

The Episode: "The Ornithophobia Diffusion"

The paradox of The Big Bang Theory's Sheldon Cooper (Parsons) is that he's thoroughly endearing, yet totally incapable of expressing affection. His love interest of three seasons, Amy Fowler (Mayim Bialik), hasn't been able to nudge him past hand-holding. But in Parsons's favorite episode of Season 5, The Ornithophobia Diffusion, Sheldon finally learns how to say 'I love you'... to a blue jay.

"It's exceptionally silly. It's exceptionally unlikely. It really gets right up to that suspension of disbelief," Parsons tells us, describing his love for this particular episode. "For me, that's one of my greatest joys as an actor ... I love the chance to be in this most unlikely scenario, and to live fully and hopefully, believably and honestly in that world."

Sheldon's interactions with the bird are actually the B story of the episode, which focuses mainly on a movie date between Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Penny (Kaley Cuoco). While those two are busy trying to hash out their "just friends" boundaries, Sheldon — who, we learn, has a terrible fear of birds — tries to shoo a stubborn blue jay from the apartment's windowsill using increasingly desperate measures. (One involves a Boba Fett helmet and a broom.) Undeterred, the bird flies into the apartment.

"We did a lot of pre-taping," Jim recalls. "The bird coming in and landing in Sheldon's spot — which I thought was a stroke of genius on the writers' part — we had to shoot that in segments, obviously. It wasn't gonna do that in front of an audience."

With Sheldon forced to confront his ornithophobia head-on, he has a complete change of heart. The idea of bonding with a bird wasn't so foreign to Parsons, who had a parakeet for fifteen years growing up. At one point during shooting, he communed so enthusiastically with the blue jay that the animal trainer had to step in and tell him to back off. ("I was just like, eye-to-eye with him, and that's beak-to-eye as far as the dangerous part goes," Parsons says.) Still, there was one moment of awkwardness with his hollow-boned scene partner.

"The only time I got scared was — and it fit the script in a way — when Sheldon is supposed to pet the bird," he admits. "Because I thought, well, I would bite me. Birds don't like to be petted ... and we only had to do a couple takes or whatever, and he did not ever bite me. But that part kind of freaked me out."

Bird scenes aside, Parsons says that The Ornithophobia Diffusion highlighted one of his favorite things about working on The Big Bang Theory: exchanging barbs with Galecki. "There's almost this touch of Vaudevillian banter back and forth, just real quick and real. It's not natural human speak," he says. "And so the challenge, of course, is to make it as natural as possible. But there's great fun in dancing that dance. And for me, there's a real thrill in feeling like you accomplished that."

[Convict13]

http://www.vulture.com/2012/08/jim-parsons-favorite-episode-of-the-big-bang-theory-season-five.html

As the Emmys approach (September 23), Vulture reached out to nominees to pose the question, “What was your favorite episode from the last season of your show?†The series kicked off yesterday with Mad Men's Jon Hamm. Today, we have The Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons.

The Episode: "The Ornithophobia Diffusion"

The paradox of The Big Bang Theory's Sheldon Cooper (Parsons) is that he's thoroughly endearing, yet totally incapable of expressing affection. His love interest of three seasons, Amy Fowler (Mayim Bialik), hasn't been able to nudge him past hand-holding. But in Parsons's favorite episode of Season 5, The Ornithophobia Diffusion, Sheldon finally learns how to say 'I love you'... to a blue jay.

"It's exceptionally silly. It's exceptionally unlikely. It really gets right up to that suspension of disbelief," Parsons tells us, describing his love for this particular episode. "For me, that's one of my greatest joys as an actor ... I love the chance to be in this most unlikely scenario, and to live fully and hopefully, believably and honestly in that world."

Sheldon's interactions with the bird are actually the B story of the episode, which focuses mainly on a movie date between Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Penny (Kaley Cuoco). While those two are busy trying to hash out their "just friends" boundaries, Sheldon — who, we learn, has a terrible fear of birds — tries to shoo a stubborn blue jay from the apartment's windowsill using increasingly desperate measures. (One involves a Boba Fett helmet and a broom.) Undeterred, the bird flies into the apartment.

"We did a lot of pre-taping," Jim recalls. "The bird coming in and landing in Sheldon's spot — which I thought was a stroke of genius on the writers' part — we had to shoot that in segments, obviously. It wasn't gonna do that in front of an audience."

With Sheldon forced to confront his ornithophobia head-on, he has a complete change of heart. The idea of bonding with a bird wasn't so foreign to Parsons, who had a parakeet for fifteen years growing up. At one point during shooting, he communed so enthusiastically with the blue jay that the animal trainer had to step in and tell him to back off. ("I was just like, eye-to-eye with him, and that's beak-to-eye as far as the dangerous part goes," Parsons says.) Still, there was one moment of awkwardness with his hollow-boned scene partner.

"The only time I got scared was — and it fit the script in a way — when Sheldon is supposed to pet the bird," he admits. "Because I thought, well, I would bite me. Birds don't like to be petted ... and we only had to do a couple takes or whatever, and he did not ever bite me. But that part kind of freaked me out."

Bird scenes aside, Parsons says that The Ornithophobia Diffusion highlighted one of his favorite things about working on The Big Bang Theory: exchanging barbs with Galecki. "There's almost this touch of Vaudevillian banter back and forth, just real quick and real. It's not natural human speak," he says. "And so the challenge, of course, is to make it as natural as possible. But there's great fun in dancing that dance. And for me, there's a real thrill in feeling like you accomplished that."

Thx for that, I hate to disagree with Jim, but maybe I need to rewatch this one.

[rachelshamyfan]

I have not seen that one yet, am a bit behind on series 5 as i only started watching the show a few months ago!

I know this week in the UK there are repeats on in the afternoon for season 5 so i am recording them all and watching when i get home

[Guest I'm not dead Cheryl]

It was easily one of my least favorite episodes of Season 5. But I can see how it must have been really fun and interesting to work on it though-

[Vortex]

Hmm... that was kind of one of my least favorite episodes of season 5. I think because it WAS so unbelievable. I guess as an actor he likes that stuff but as a viewer I like things that are closer to reality but maybe a little exaggerated.

[HeWolf]

Thanks! I enjoyed reading the interview. Interesting how Jim says the bird episode was his favorite in an interview on vulture.com.

[rachelshamyfan]

From the episodes i have seen of season 5 i especially like the werewolf transformation, the scene with Sheldon and the bongos was hilarious

have now seen episodes 1-6 and 17-24

[Ely]

It was one of my least favorite episodes of Season 5.

This and the one when Amy gave a big painting to Penny (I hate this one)... I think it can be erase, eliminate, capuch

[Moonbase]

Its not a real stand out episode to me either. But I guess from Jim's point of view, after 5 poker-faced arrogant years, it felt great to have Sheldon say the L word. Even if it was just to a bird. You are soft, Mr Parsons.

[annieogly]

It was one of my least favorite episodes of Season 5.

This and the one when Amy gave a big painting to Penny (I hate this one)... I think it can be erase, eliminate, capuch

I entirely agree; I disliked both the painting and the bird episode. But what an actor likes to do is different than what the viewer desires. Sheldon saying 'I love you' to a bird was out there. If he has these feelings for closeness and love then he must be struggling with repressing them. But the writers never picked up on that.

Werewolf was so much better.

[Pomita]

Its not a real stand out episode to me either. But I guess from Jim's point of view, after 5 poker-faced arrogant years, it felt great to have Sheldon say the L word. Even if it was just to a bird. You are soft, Mr Parsons.

This was actually the reason I liked the episode, though it wasn't one of my season favorites. It had an unexpected moment of epiphany when Sheldon realized that something he feared could instead be loved and missed; and in retrospect, I think this was a symbolic build-up to the next episode (Flaming Spittoon), in which he had a similar epiphany about his relationship with Amy.

[Moonbase]

Yeah maybe, I remember thinking it was a new experience to see Sheldon being nurturing to the egg he found. But I really didn't expect his reaction to the date with Stuart the following episode. It was part discomfort, at the steps he was taking and part possessiveness.

[BazingaFan]

Well, remember he loved his cats as well in season 4. He may not have said I love you, but he has done this before, just differently.

I agree with jim that I do enjoy the banter between sheldon and leonard, and we need more of it, just like we need more sheldon and penny again.

[rachelshamyfan]

Sheldon and Penny are usually very funny together

[Pomita]

Well, remember he loved his cats as well in season 4. He may not have said I love you, but he has done this before, just differently.

I agree with jim that I do enjoy the banter between sheldon and leonard, and we need more of it, just like we need more sheldon and penny again.

That's true. And it's probably worth noting that this was at a time when he suffered the emotional loss of Amy, and had to 'fill up' with something or someone else. So his cathecting his cats was again Amy-related.

Sheldon/Leonard and Sheldon/Penny are two of the all-time best dynamics on the show. We definitely need more of them!