https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vauLfrz1oE
M No guidelines, no rules? So free form
J Oh good. There’re two cameras. OK.
M Jim Parsons
J Mayim
M How would you describe the feel of the show in its fourth season, as compared to when you were filming the very first pilot episode?
J I personally as an actor feel it’s more fluid being here than it was then, simply for the very banal reason that I understand what’s going on better. You know what I mean? The day-to-day’s better. This makes for a smoother experience. That’s what feels different to me. That’s a boring answer..
M I’m satisfied.
J OK. You are. Good.
M Very satisfied.
J But you’re easy – audience.
J Mayim Bialik – what’s it been like for you joining the cast in the fourth season?
M I liken joining the cast in the fourth season to starting in a new high school, not the first day of the 11th grade, but, like, the 3rd weekend when everyone’s already got their classes and their teachers and where they wanna sit – and then you come in and you’re not as hip and cool as everyone; it’s like that, a little bit.
J But you were hip and cool.
M No, it’s different.
J The language is being spoken already
M The fluidity that you speak of …
J Exactly
M … in the fourth season is not fluid for me
J Exactly
[Extract from show]
M As the newest member of your social group, I believe I’ll gain more acceptance by arbitrarily siding with your friends from time to time.
J Shrewd.
[Back to interview]
M How do you feel about filming in front of a live audience? Is that something that’s gotten easier over the years?
J I love filming in front of an audience; I think it’s the best part of this job, to be honest. I don’t find it any easier or harder than I did on day 1. I had done a lot of theatre anyway so I was used to being in front of people. My favourite thing in the world is being part of telling a story, and there’s nothing more boring than telling the same story to the same people, as in rehearsal, over and over again. So they come, and that’s what I’m doing it for, I feel, as an actor in any medium, is the chance to tell that story for the first time to fresh ears. [Sentence structure here not good]
M You really come alive in front of an audience in a new way.
J You think so?
M I definitely notice that you’re someone who does thrive from that extra energy.
J You see, I need that extra push. I don’t know how to give it all till it’s D-Day [a little unclear here]
M That’s why they’re still there.
J Um, oh, maybe I’ll say this. OK – you have a personal connection to science – tell me about that.
M I was a scientist before I got here. I took a degree in neuroscience and, when I first was cast, as a female version of your character, I don’t know that I knew that she was necessarily a scientist – I don’t think we knew anything about her.
J I think you’re right.
M It wasn’t until this season that they named her a neuro-biologist which is a closely-related field to what I do.
[Extract from show]
J Aren’t you slicing that man’s brain a little too thin?
[Back to interview]
J Was that accidental?
M I don’t think so. I would not be the one to ask about that.
J I’m the same way when they ask me when Sheldon is from Texas, as am I, was that accidental? Probably not, but then [indistinct]
M Yes – your accent does come out – I don’t know that my degree seeps out of my voice.
J That’s rude.
[From show]
J I never will understand that boy. But then again, I’m a religious nut and my mind is closed to so many things.
[Interview]
M What’s your process? This is a good question for Jim Parsons. What’s your process for preparing for each episode? How do you memorise the special Sheldon monologues or complicated science terminology that you have to have?
J During the week, I start to have – I probably have them on me – I do – I make my flashcards.
M Your notecards.
J And, like, this is act 1 scene A, and then there’s my first cue line – it’s from Leonard – there’s the “L”. It says “OK, see you later”. And then on the back is my line and I pace around my house and I do drill them like some sort of ballet dancer learning moves, because .. largely because I don’t understand a lot of what I’m talking about. And so, I need the muscle memory to be – at least in my mouth at least – to be really ready to go because, if I do think about it, a) the right words will never occur to me and b) the ones that do will be just wrong.
[From show]
J I don’t want to be joined to another object wrapped helically around an axis.
M In what way are you screwed?
[Interview]
J Mayim, what’s your process for preparing for each episode?
M Well, it’s hard to follow up your process ‘coz it sounds very elaborate and efficient – mine is not like that. I mean, I’ve been memorising scripts since I was – regularly – since I was about 14 years old. I have a kind of a photographic memory issue – it’s not what I rely on but it is how I remember things. I memorise the whole and not the parts. That’s why, when they make changes, and the pages change, I lose, you know, I lose my picture of the page. I’m not a trained actor – I never was a trained actor – I came to acting from elementary school plays.
J You’re a feral actor.
M I’m a wild beast of an actor.
J Do you run lines with anyone?
M No. Are you ready for this? I’ve had so much fun working with you – they had to write it for me, coz it’s not true..
J I can tell how emotionally you felt about this.
M The question is – has it been a big shift for you to interact, specifically with my character? Do you think the fans are pulling for us to be together?
J Well, I was gonna say – I’m pulling for us. But I think it’s kind of already happening. Whatever this is, I like this and …
M They haven’t turned the cameras off.
J It has been a challenge in it’s own way, but only in a good way. It’s been a challenge because it’s been so different: it’s normally Sheldon at odds with somebody. I just think it’s been wonderful. He can enjoy spending time with Amy so much and that’s something else that’s been rare, you know. We see, like, the guys playing games and Sheldon enjoys that, or Sheldon at work and Sheldon enjoys that; but, as far as relating with a person, it’s normally discomforting. It normally makes him uncomfortable to be doing that.
[Show]
J I must say, Amy, pretending to have intercourse with you has given me a great deal of satisfaction.
[Interview]
J I don’t know what Sheldon feels about it but my first hints are that he’s OK with her touching him.
[Show]
J What are you doing?
M An experiment.
[Interview]
J He’s OK with being her experiment, if you will, in a way that I don’t think he would be with somebody else.
J Oh, this is lovely! What’s your favourite part about working with me?
M You happen to be someone who I enjoy having the most scenes with, because I feel like our brains work similarly.
J I agree.
M Part of is that we’re both musicians, we’re both musically-minded and I feel like a lot of how you structure things makes sense to me. It’s nice to work with you because you ask the things I would ask and, since I often need to look to you for what I would do in the character, it’s helpful, coz I can see also I need to learn to think like you, in how you approach the character to help me too. [Poor sentence structure]
M You – you won some awards this year. Both an Emmy and you won a Golden Globe – it was very exciting for us, as well as you. Obviously, there was that moment at the Globes were Kaley got to give you one – I see that picture hanging downstairs. Sum up something special you liked either about that experience or what it’s like winning an award or being acknowledged that way for you.
J I’ve been very scared both times I’ve won – I don’t know of what – probably, that you have to talk in front of people, right there, live and as yourself. But I have felt very fearful every time right before it’s been announced – both times, every time. The Kaley thing – immediately I understood – I told her as soon as I got off stage, like I’ll – no matter how long I work, no matter how wonderful my career is, that will never be repeated again – to have your cast-mate, who you have worked with, who you love, for four years, being the one to be handing it to you. In a circumstance like that, in front of everybody, quite possibly, once in a career type of situation. So yeah – fear and happiness … and a trophy.
[Show]
J Look at you! Getting me to engage in the social sciences. You’re a vixen, Amy Ferrer-Fowler.
[Interview]
J Thank-you. Sorry we went on too long.
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