Young Sheldon actress Raegan Revord explains why she's grateful that Missy wasn't a prominent character on The Big Bang Theory. After Mary's first visit to Pasadena in the original series, Sheldon's twin sister followed suit, but, unlike the Cooper matriarch who continuously appeared on The Big Bang Theory throughout its 12-year run, Missy only returned to the sitcom one more time. It took a full decade before her next cameo as she and the rest of the Coopers attended Sheldon and Amy's wedding on The Big Bang Theory season 11. Turns out, Revord finds that to be a good thing.
Speaking with Popternative, Revord sheds some light on her process of playing Sheldon's twin sister on Young Sheldon. According to her, because The Big Bang Theory didn't fully explore Missy, it was easier for her to make the character her own. Read her full answer below:
Whenever Missy was in The Big Bang Theory, she wasn’t such a prominent character that you got to learn every angle of her. That kind of [abled me] to make it my own. And so I was able to kind of create Missy. I watched clips of older Missy to kind of see how she was, [but I] was also able to add my own take on the character.
Why Missy Was Barely On The Big Bang Theory
CBS didn't know how well-received Missy's character would be until Young Sheldon debuted when the flagship series was already well into its 12-season run. In its 11th season, older Missy appeared on The Big Bang Theory for only the second time. By then, it was already difficult to incorporate Sheldon's sister in more plotlines since The Big Bang Theory's final season was focused on wrapping things up for the Pasadena gang.
This is likely for the best, though - because there's barely anything known about Missy on The Big Bang Theory, she has more creative freedom when crafting the character. The same can be said for CBS as they decide on Missy's story on Young Sheldon. One of the reasons why it's difficult to take chances with Sheldon's arc in the family comedy is because he was prominently featured on The Big Bang Theory, so viewers are already familiar with his quirks. It would be easy for them to point out flaws and continuity errors.
While Revord sees the benefits of Missy not being prominently featured on The Big Bang Theory, the character would have been a great addition to the flagship show. Missy and Sheldon's relationship with Young Sheldon is one of the most interesting aspects of the series, and it would have been great to see more of that on the nerd-centric sitcom. Plus, Missy would have been a great friend to Kaley Cuoco's Penny. While it seems like a missed opportunity to not include Missy prominently in the main show, it still worked out to everyone's benefit.
Young Sheldon season 6 airs every Thursday on CBS.
Source: Popternative