Mayim Bialik, who played Amy Farrah Fowler on The Big Bang Theory for almost 10 years, confessed that she's never actually watched an entire episode of the show. Bialik, who became famous for playing the title character on Blossom in the early 1990s, joined the cast of The Big Bang Theory in 2010, and played Fowler until the show's finale last year.
Bialik, who holds a PHD in Neuroscience in real life and has written a number of books, was brought on the show to play Fowler in the final episode of season 3 as a romantic counterpart to Jim Parsons' Sheldon Cooper. As the seasons progressed, Bialik's character became an integral part of the show, leading to her gaining main cast status in season 4. In season 11, Cooper and Fowler get married, and by season 12 they win a Nobel Prize in Physics together. Despite being offered a deal for season 13, Parsons said he would not return, and so the show ended after 12 years on air, much to Bialik's chagrin.
In an interview with the UK's Metro newspaper, Bialik has confessed that despite appearing on the show for the better part of a decade, she has never bothered to sit down and watch an entire episode. She said the reason is quite simple - she doesn't like watching herself on TV. She went on to add that she's only seen the snippets of the episodes that are shown to the live studio audience, but that she wouldn't watch herself. She finished by saying she doesn't feel she needs to watch the show as, after all, she appeared in it and knew what was going on.
Bialik didn't just discuss herself in the interview. She reveals that Simon Helberg, who played Howard Wolowitz on the show, would have the entire cast in stitches, and that he's one of the funniest people she knows. Another topic of discussion was on-set rituals, including the cast having a group hug before each curtain call, and how Bialik would have to drink a Coke and eat onion rings before she appeared in each episode.
Bialik's desire to not watch herself on screen is a trait she shares with a number of actors. Perhaps most famously, Hugh Laurie refused to watch himself in House, M.D. as the British actor hated his American accent, convinced that he wasn't doing a good job with it. Other actors who don't watch themselves include Johnny Depp, Andrew Garfield and Julianne Moore. Jeff Bridges has also said he won't watch any of his movies on TV, except for The Big Lebowski, which he feels is too funny not to watch.
For Bialik, who has a range of interests outside her acting work, there is clearly no temptation to watch The Big Bang Theory. One wonders if she has put enough distance between herself and Blossom to be able to watch that show. It has been almost 30 years since she starred in it, and she was a child, so perhaps the disconnect is enough.
Source: Metro